ENQUIRY INTO PLANTS, I. vin. s-ix. i 



trees correspond the ' eye ' in the vine, the joint in 

 the reed) ..... 1 In some trees again there occurs, 

 as it were, a diseased formation of small shoots,- as 

 in elm oak and especially in the plane ; and this is 

 universal if they grow in rough waterless or windy 

 spots. Apart from any such cause 3 this affection 

 occurs near the ground in what one may call the 

 ' head ' of the trunk, when the tree is getting old. 



Some trees again have what are called by some 

 ' excrescences ' 4 (or something corresponding), as the 

 olive ; for this name belongs most properly to that 

 tree, and it seems most liable to the affection ; and 

 some call it ' stump,' some krotonef others have a 

 different name for it. It does not occur, or only 

 occurs to a less extent, in straight young trees, which 

 have a single root and no side-growths. To the 

 olive 6 also, both wild and cultivated, are peculiar 

 certain thickenings 7 in the stem. 



As to habit. 



IX. 8 Now those trees which grow chiefly or only 9 

 in the direction of their height are such as silver-fir 

 date-palm cypress, and in general those which have 

 a single stem and not many roots or branches (the 

 date-palm, it may be added, has no side-growths at 

 all 10 ). And trees like 11 these have also similar growth 

 downwards. Some however divide from the first, 



note about the palm (<poZVi 8e Trapa^Xacrr-nriK^v) I have omitted 

 as untrue as well as irrelevant ; possibly with airapa&a. for 

 ira.pa.8a. it belongs to the next section. 



7 ouXSrriras conj. W.; Koi\6rr]ra.s MSS. (?) Aid. 



8 Plin. 16. 125. 



9 /j.d\iffr t % novov conj. W. ; /j.d\iffTa /j.ava Ald.H. 



10 See 3. 8. 6. n. 



11 8/uoia conj. Sch. ; tuoiws MSS. Sense hardly satisfactory. 



61 



