ENQUIRY INTO PLANTS, IV. ii. 1-3 



leaf is similar, its size, and its general appearance ; 

 but it bears its fruit in a quite peculiar manner, as 

 was said at the very outset ^ ; it is borne not on the 

 shoots or branches, but on the stem ; in size it is as 

 large as a fig, which it resembles also in appearance, 

 but in flavour and sweetness it is like the ' immature 

 figs,' except that it is much sweeter and contains 

 absolutely no seeds, and it is produced in large 

 numbers. It cannot ripen unless it is scraped; but 

 they scrape it with iron ' claws ' ^ ; the fruits thus 

 scraped ripen in four days. If these are removed, 

 others and others again grow from exactly the same 

 point, and this some say occurs three times over, 

 others say it can happen more times than that. 

 Again the tree is very full of sap, and its wood is 

 useful for many purposes. There is another peculiar 

 property which it appears to possess ; when it is 

 cut, it is at first green, but it dries in deep water ^ ; 

 they put it at once in a hole or in pools and so season 

 it ; and it becomes dry by being soaked in the deep 

 water, and when it is completely dry, it is fetched up 

 and floats and is then thought to be duly seasoned ; 

 for it is now light and porous. Such are the 

 peculiarities of the s^xamore. 



Somewhat similar appears to be the character of 

 the tree which in Crete is called the ' Cyprian fig ' * 

 (sycamore). For this also bears its fruit on the stem 

 and on the thickest branches ; but in this case there 

 is a small leafless shoot, like a root, to whicli the 

 fruit is attached. The stem is large and like the 



scraping was the prophet Amos' occupation : c/. Amos 7. 14. 

 comm. 



• ifi&veiov conj. W.; tls fivBov UMVPAld. ? iv Bvdcf) hu. 



* See Index, c/. Athen. 3. 11 ; Plin. 13. 58 ; Diosc. 1. 127. 3. 



293 



