ENQUIRY INTO PLANTS, IV. v. 2-3 



about Oeta Parnassus Pelion Ossa and Telethrion,! 

 and in these parts some say that there is great abund- 

 ance ; so also is there in Arcadia and Laconia, for 

 these districts too produce medicinal plants. But of 

 the aromatic plants none grows in these lands, except 

 the iris '^ in Illyria on the shores of the Adriatic ; for 

 here it is excellent and far superior to that which 

 grows elsewhere ; but in hot places and those which 

 face the south the fragrant plants grow, as if by con- 

 trast to the medicinal plants. And the warm places 

 have also the cypress in greater abundance ; for in- 

 stance, Crete Lycia Rhodes, while the prickly cedar 

 grows in the Thracian and the Phrygian mountains. 



Of cultivated plants they say that those least 

 able to thrive in cold regions are the bay and 

 myrtle, especially the myrtle, and they give for 

 proof 2 that on Mount Olympus the bay is abundant, 

 but the myrtle does not occur at all. In Pontus 

 about Panticapaeum neither grows, though they are 

 anxious to grow them and take special pains * to do 

 so for religious purposes. But there are many well 

 grown fig-trees and pomegranates, which are given 

 shelter ; pears and apples are abundant in a great 

 variety of forms and are excellent. These are spring- 

 fruiting trees, except that they may fruit later here 

 than elsewhere. Of wild trees there are oak elm 

 manna-ash and the like (while there is no fir silver- 

 fir nor Aleppo pine, nor indeed any resinous tree). 

 But the wood of such trees ^ in this country is damp 

 and much inferior to that of Sinope, so that they do 

 not much use it except for outdoor purposes. These 



3 Plin. 16. 137. 



* Plin., I.e., s&ys that Mithridates made this attempt. 



' i.e. oak, etc. 



