ENQUIRY INTO PLANTS, IV. ii. 8-11 



properties, wherefore physicians gather it. ^ Gum 

 is also produced from it, which flows both when the 

 tree is wounded and also of its own accord without 

 any incision ^ being made. When the tree is cut 

 down, after the third year it immediately shoots up 

 again ; it is a common tree, and there is a great wood 

 of it in the Thebaid, where grow the oak, the persea 

 in great abundance,^ and the olive. 



* For the olive also grows in that district, though 

 it is not watered by the river, being more than 300 

 furlongs distant from it, but by brooks ; for there 

 are many springs. The oil produced is not inferior 

 to that of our country, except that it has a less 

 pleasing smell,^ because it has not a sufficient 

 natural supply of salt.*' The wood of the tree is hard 

 in character, and, when split, is like in colour" to ' 

 that of the nettle-tree. 



* There is another tree, the (Egyptian) plum 

 (sebesten), which is of great stature, and the 

 cliaracter of its fruit ^ is like the medlar (which it 

 resembles in size), except that it has a round stone. 

 It begins to flower in the month Pyanepsion,io and 

 ripens its fruit about the winter solstice, and it is 

 evergreen.il The inhabitants of the Thebaid, because 

 of the abundance of the tree, dry the fruit ; thev 

 take out the stones, bruise it, and make cakes of it. 



There is a peculiar bush ^^ which grows about 

 Memphis, whose peculiarity does not lie in its leaves 



^ ffxaviojj . . . (pvffft conj. W. ; ffxavlws rols oA<rt xp- ""^ 

 fifffi Aid. ; so U, but omitting t^. 



' t.e^ black, cf. 4. 3. 1. » Plin. 13. 64 andGo. 



* Tov Kapvov add. Seal, from G and Plin. I.e. ^" October. 

 " afi<pv\\oy conj. Seal, from G and Plin./. c.;<foA\oi'UMV Aid. 

 ^* Mimosa asptrata ; see Index, App. (2). vKt)fxa conj. Seal. 

 from G (materia) ; oXSvfui MAld.U (corrected). 



301 



