ENQUIRY INTO PLANTS, III. viii. 5-7 



ning, although they are not lofty ; nor do they use 

 the wood for their sacrifices. Such then are the 



differences as to timber and general appearance. 



^ All the kinds produce galls, but only hemeris 

 (gall-oak) produces one which is of use for tanning 

 hides. That of aigilops (Turkey-oak) and that of the 

 'broad-leaved' oak (scrub oak) are in appearance 

 Uke that of hemeris (gall-oak), but smoother and use- 

 less. This also produces the other gall, the black 

 kind, with which they dye wool. The substance 

 which some call tree-moss and which resembles rags* 

 is borne only by the aigilops (Turkey-oak) ; it is grey 

 and rough 3 and hangs down for a cubit's length, like 

 a long shred of linen. This grows from the bark and 

 not from the knob * whence the acorn starts ; nor 

 does it grow from an eye, but from the side of the 

 upper boughs. The sea-bark oak also produces this, 

 but it is blackish ^ and short. 



Thus the people of Mount Ida distinguish. But 

 the people of Macedonia make four kinds, ' true-oak,' 

 or the oak which bears the sweet acorns, ' broad- 

 leaved' oak (scrub oak), or that which bears the 

 bitter ones, \'alonia oak, or that which bears the 

 round ones, and aspris^ (Turkey-oak); '^ the last- 

 named some say is altogether without fruit, some 

 say it bears poor fruit, so that no animal eats it 

 except the pig, and only he when he can get no 

 others, and that after eating it the pig mostly 

 gets an affection of the head.* The wood is also 

 wretched ; when hewn with the axe it is altogether 



* i'wlfj.eKay tovto cpvei conj. Seal.; (infj.. rovro ^vffft U; ivl 

 utKlay TOVTO <f>vei MVAld. 

 « See Index. ^ Plin. 16. 24. 



^ rfpiK^paXal^ : apparently the name of a disease. 



209 



