ENQUIRY INTO PLANTS, VIII. HI. 3-5 



such flowers. Those of millet and Italian millet 1 

 are also ' downy/ 2 those of sesame and erysimon 

 ' leafy.' Another difference is that in some cases 

 the flowers are round the fruit ; thus those of corn 

 and millet are round the ear ; while in leguminous 

 plants the fruit comes as it were from the flower 

 itself, or at least from the same starting-point. 

 Another difference is that some produce all their 

 flowers at once, others in succession. And there are 

 other differences akin to these. 



In like manner there are differences in the fruits ; 

 some have an 'ear/ leguminous plants a pod, and 

 millet-like plants a ' plume ' 3 which is the name 

 given to an inflorescence 4 such as reeds have. Again, 

 generally speaking, 5 some have their seeds in a 

 vessel, 6 some in pods, 7 some naked ; and further 

 some bear their fruit at the top, some at the 

 sides ; and there are other differences which bear on 

 this enquiry. 



In general the leguminous plants produce more 

 fruit and are more prolific, and the summer crops 

 millet and sesame are even more so than these, while 

 among the leguminous plants themselves lentil is 

 the most prolific. 8 Generally speaking, those that 

 have small seeds are more prolific, as cummin among 

 pot-herbs, which are all prolific of seed. The seeds 

 of cereals are more robust as to standing winter and 

 conditions of climate generally, while those of 

 leguminous plants are stronger as to providing 

 food. 9 However it may be that in this respect 



6 /jLfV vayyft6<nrep/j.a conj. Sch. ; (j.cv eyyL6ff-irep/ui.aP 2 A\d. cf. 

 C.P. 4. 7. 5. 



7 cf. 1. 11. 2. 8 cf. C.P. 4. 15. 2. 



9 i.e. what has just been said perhaps applies only to human 

 food. Sense fixed by 8. 9. 3 ad Jin.: cf. Plin. 18. 50. 



163 

 M 2 



