ENQUIRY INTO PLANTS, IV. vi. 7-9 



not unlike the pods of pulses, but is hollow inside 

 and contains nothing in the 'pods.' 1 That of the 

 ' oak ' is slender and more like the tamarisk ; the 

 colour of both is purplish. The whole shape of the 

 1 fir ' is erect, both as to the stem and the branches, 

 but that of the ' oak ' is less straight and the plant is 

 broader. Eoth are found both with many stems and 

 with one, 2 but the ' fir ' is more apt to have a single 

 stem. The branchlike outgrowths in the 'fir' are 

 long straight and spreading, while in the ' oak' they 

 are shorter less straight and closer. The whole size 

 of either is about a cubit or rather more, but in 

 general that of the ' fir' is the longer. The 'oak' 

 is useful to women for dyeing wool. To the branches 

 are attached certain creatures with shells, and below 

 they are also found attached to the stem itself, which 

 in some cases they completely cover ; 3 and amonf 

 these are found millepedes and other such creatures, 

 including the one which resembles a cuttlefish. 



These plants occur close to land and are easy to 

 observe ; but some report 4 that there is another ' sea 

 oak' which even bears fruit and has a useful 'acorn/ 

 and that the sponge fishers 5 and divers told them 

 that there were other large kinds. 



6 The 'sea-vine ' grows under both conditions, both 

 close to land and in the deep sea ; but the deep sea 

 form has larger leaves branches and fruit. 



7 The ' sea-fig ' is leafless and not of large size, and 

 the colour of the bark is red. 



7' '6\ca conj. W. ; rivaiv '6\o>v Aid.; riv&v ye S\uv U; 

 text uncertain : the next clause has no connecting particle. 



4 Plin. 13. 137. 



6 ffKivBovs, a vox nihili : perhaps conceals a proper name, 

 t.g. 2(/ce\tKot/s ; ffTroyye'ts conj. St. 



' Plin. 13. 138. Plin. I.e. 



335 



