ENQUIRY INTO PLANTS, I. xiii. 4-5 



is why men pluck them off, for they hinder the 

 growth of the cucumber. And they say that in the 

 citron those flowers which have a kind of distaff^ 

 growing in the middle are fruitful, but those that 

 have it not are sterile. And we must consider 

 whether it occurs also in any other flowering plants 

 that they produce sterile flowers, whether apart 

 from the fertile flowers or not. For some kinds of 

 vine and pomegranate certainly are unable to mature 

 their firuit, and do not produce anything beyond the 

 flower. 



(The flower of the pomegranate is produced abun- 

 dantly and is solid "^ : in general appearance it is a 

 substantial structure with a flat top, like the flower 

 of the rose ^ ; but,"* as seen from below, the inferior 

 l^art of the flower is different-looking, being like a 

 little two-eared jar turned on one side and having 

 its rim indented.) 



Some say that even of plants of the same kind ^ 

 some specimens flower while others do not ; for 

 instance that the ' male ' date-palm flowers but the 

 ' female ' does not, but exhibits its fruit without any 

 antecedent flower. 



Such "^ is the difference which we find between 



and 111), I.e. because it resembled a jcutoj (see LS. s.v.). T. 

 chooses the particular form of jar called Siwtos, because the 

 indentations between the sepals suggest this : \J. This is 



called itcTfTpafififvos, because the weight of the developing 

 fruit causes it to take up at one stage a horizontal position, 

 like a jar hing on its side ; x**^'? refers to the jar (for the 

 plural c/. the use of ivrvyes), fLvx<^^V to the indentations in 

 the calyx (a jar ha\-ing ordinarily an unindented rim). 



* ifjioytvwv Qon}. Sch.; ofLoioytvuv A\i{. 



* ravra roiavTrjv I conj. from G ; roiavra riiv UM ; 

 ToiauTijc P. 



95 



