ENQUIRY INTO PLANTS, III. iv. 4-6 



a little later, manna-ash 1 and maple in summer; alder 

 hazel and a certain kind of wild pear in autumn ; 

 oak and chestnut later still, about the setting of the 

 Pleiad ; and in like manner alaternus kermes-oak 

 Christ's-thorn cotoneaster after the setting of the 

 Pleiad ; aria (holm-oak) when winter is beginning, 

 apple with the first cold weather, wild pear late 2 in 

 winter. Andrachiie and hybrid arbutus first ripen 

 their fruit when the grape is turning, and again 3 

 when winter is beginning ; for these trees appear to 

 bear twice. As for 4 silver-fir and yew, they flower 

 a little before the solstice ; 5 (the flower of the silver- 

 fir is yellow and otherwise pretty) ; they bear their 

 fruit after the setting of the Pleiad. Fir and Aleppo 

 pine are a little earlier in budding, about fifteen 

 days, but produce their fruit after the setting of the 

 Pleiad, though proportionately earlier than silver-fir 

 and yew. 



In these trees then the difference of time is not 

 considerable ; the greatest difference is shewn in 

 Phoenician cedar holly and kermes-oak ; for Phoe- 

 nician cedar appears to keep its fruit for a year, the 

 new fruit overtaking that of last year ; and, accord- 

 ing to some, it does not ripen it at all ; wherefore 

 men gather it unripe and keep it, whereas if it is left 

 on the tree, it shrivels up. The Arcadians say that 

 the kermes-oak also takes a year to perfect its fruit ; 

 for it ripens last year's fruit at the same time that 

 the new fruit appears on it; the result of which is that 

 such trees always have fruit on them. They say also 



3 After vffrtpov Aid. adds avQovvri (so also H and G) ; Pliu. 

 I'i. 121. omits it ; om. W. after Sch. 

 * yiip Aid.; 5e conj. W. 

 6 Probably an early gloss, W. cf. PI in. 16. JOG. 



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