ENQUIRY INTO PLANTS, II. vi. 5-7 



in different soils the methods of cultivation should 

 differ, like the trees themselves. 



1 There are several kinds of palm. To begin with, 

 to take first the most important difference ; some 

 are fruitful and some not ; and it is from this latter 

 kind that the people of Babylon make their beds 

 and other furniture. Again of the fruitful trees 

 some are 'male/ others 'female'; and these differ 

 from one another in that the ' male ' first 2 bears a 

 flower on the spathe, while the ' female ' at once 

 bears a small fruit. Again there are various differences 

 in the fruits themselves ; some have no stones, others 

 soft stones ; as to colour, some are white, some black, 

 some yellow ; and in general they say that there is 

 not less variety of colour and even of kind than in 

 figs ; also that they differ in size and shape, some being 

 round like apples and of such a size that four of them 

 make up a cubit 3 in length, . . . 4 while others are 

 small, 5 no bigger than chick-peas ; and that there is 

 also much difference in flavour. 



The best kind alike in size and in quality, whether 

 of the white or black variety, is that which in either 

 form is called ' the royal palm ' ; but this, they say, 

 is rare ; it grows hardly anywhere except in the 

 park of the ancient Bagoas, 6 near Babylon. In 

 Cyprus 7 there is a peculiar kind of palm which does 

 not ripen its fruit, though, when it is unripe, it is 

 very sweet and luscious, and this lusciousness is of a 

 peculiar kind. Some palms again 8 differ not merely 



gloss on trrixvv, e.g. efs irTi^vs Suo iro'Ses (Salm.) ; om. G ; tviort 

 KOL e'Ti-l Tro'So conj. W. 5 Plin. 13. 42. 



Bayctov : Bar-rot; MSS. corr. by R. Const, from Plin. 13. 

 41. rov TraAafou apparently distinguishes this Bagoas from 

 some more recent wearer of the name. 



' Plin. 13. 33. 8 Plin. 13. 28. 



139 



