ENQUIRY INTO PLANTS, IV. vi. 4-7 



sea-plants which are found near the shore. But the 

 ' seaweed of ocean/ which is dived for by the 

 sponge-fishers, belongs to the open sea. 



1 In Crete there is an abundant and luxuriant 

 growth 2 on the rocks close to land, with which they 

 dye not only their ribbons, but also wool and 

 clothes. And, as long as the dye is fresh, the 

 colour is far more beautiful than the purple dye ; 

 it occurs on the north coast in greater abundance 

 and fairer, as do the sponges and other such things. 



3 There is another kind like dog's-tooth grass ; 

 the leaf is very like, the root is jointed and long, 

 and grows out sideways, like that of that plant ; it 

 has also a reedy stalk like the same plant, and in 

 size it is much smaller than ordinary seaweed. 



4 Another kind is the oyster-green, which has a 

 leaf green in colour, but broad and not unlike 

 lettuce leaves ; but it is more wrinkled 5 and as it 

 were crumpled. It has no stalk, but from a single 

 starting-point grow many of the kind, and again 

 from another starting-point. These things grow on 

 stones close to land and on oyster-shells. These 

 are about all the smaller kinds. 



6 The c sea-oak ' and ( sea-fir' both belong to the 

 shore ; they grow on stones and oyster-shells, having 

 no roots, but being attached to them like limpets. 7 

 Both have more or less fleshy leaves ; but the leaf 

 of the ' fir ' grows much longer and stouter, and is 8 



4 Plin. 13. 137 ; 27. 56 ; fytov conj. Seal, from G and Plin. 

 I.e. ; ftorpvov UAld.H. 



5 pvTtScaSeffTepov conj. Seal, from G and Plin. I.e. ; xpf<ria>8e- 

 ffTfpov Aid. ; pvffica^ecTTepov mBas. 



6 Plin. I.e. 7 AeWSes Aid.; Aoirc5es W. with UMV. 



8 irpofjLijKeffTepov . . . iretyvKf ical conj. W. ; irpop.. 8e rb (pv\\ov 

 ital iraxvTepov TTJJ eAa-njs- iroAu Se /cal Aid. 



333 



