ENQUIRY INTO PLANTS, III. vi. 3-5 



also regularly increases by pushing forward of the 

 already existing part, 1 even if the leaves are mutilated, 

 as in corn which is bitten down by animals. Corn 

 however does not 2 make side-growths, as some 

 leguminous plants do.) Here then we may find a 

 difference which occurs both in the making of buds 

 and in the making of fresh growth. 



3 Some say that wild trees are not deep rooting, 

 because they all grow from seed ; but this is not a 

 very accurate statement. For it is possible that, 

 when they are well established, 4 they may send 

 their roots down far ; in fact even most pot-herbs 

 do this, though these are not so strong as trees, and 

 are undoubtedly grown from seed planted in the 

 ground. 5 The kermes-oak however seems to be the 

 deepest rooting of wild trees ; silver-fir and fir are 

 only moderately so, and shallowest are joint-fir plum 

 bullace (which is a sort of wild plum). The last 

 two also have few roots, while joint-fir has many. 

 Trees which do not root deep, 6 and especially silver- 

 fir and fir, are liable to be rooted up by winds. 



So the Arcadians say. But the people who live 

 near Mount Ida say that the silver fir is deeper 

 rooting 7 than the oak, 8 arid has straighter roots, 

 though they are fewer. Also that those which have 

 the deepest roots are plum and filbert, the latter 

 having strong slender roots, the former having 

 many : but they add that both trees must be well 

 established to acquire these characters ; also that 

 plum is very tenacious of life. Maple, they say, 



* ii/apyws . . . 71} : so G ; ev add. W. 

 tt j8a0ou$ conj. Sch.; &d6os Aid. 



7 Padoppitfrtpov COllj. W. ; pa6upptoTcnoi> UMVAld. 



8 Proverbial for its hold on the ground ; cf. Verg. Ae.n. -4 

 441 foil. 



195 



