ENQUIRY INTO PLANTS, VI. iv. 9 -v. 1 



an apple and well hidden by l the leaves ; this on its 

 head produces its gum, 2 which is pleasant to the 

 taste, and this is the ' thorn-mastich.' 3 These 

 plants and others like them are found almost 

 everywhere. 



4 But the plant called kaktos (cardoon) grows only 

 in Sicily, and not in Hellas. It is a plant quite 

 different from any other ; for it sends up straight from 

 the root stems which creep on the ground, and its 

 leaf is broad 5 and spinous : these stems are called 

 kaktoi; they are edible, if peeled, and are slightly 

 bitter, and men preserve them in brine. 



There is another kind which sends up an erect 

 stem, called the pternix. This too is edible, but can- 

 not be preserved. The fruit-vessel, which contains 

 the seed, is in shape like a thistle-head 6 : and when 

 the downy seeds are taken off, this too is edible and 

 resembles the ' brain ' 7 of the palm ; and it is called 

 skalias. 8 Such are the different characteristics in 

 the light of which we may observe the spinous- 

 leaved plants. 



V. Examples of plants which have leaves as well 

 as spines are pheos 9 rest-harrow star-thistle caltrop 

 ' horse-pfieos ' 10 (spurge) butcher's broom n . . . , 12 

 and it has a fleshy leaf : it is much divided and has 



7 i.e. 'cabbage.' cf. 2. 6. 2. 



8 ascaliam Plin. I.e. ; affKaXi/ipov Athen. I.e. Modern Greek 

 cr/caATjpa. English ' bottom.' See Index KO.KTOS (2). 



9 $(ws conj. St,; 4>Aea>s Aid. of. 6. 1. 3. 



10 tiriroQews conj. Salm., cf. 6. 5. 2 ; !-mr6(pvov Aid. cf. Plin. 

 21. 91. 



11 Diosc. 2. 125 ; Plin. 19. 151. 



12 Text defective : the end of one sentence is missing and 

 the beginning of the next, containing the name of a plant. 

 Gr attaches the following description to 0e'o>y. The plants 

 presently described do not correspond to this list. 



31 



