ENQUIRY INTO PLANTS, IV. viii. 9-12 



appear above the water. This the plant does until 

 the ' head ' is matured and the flowers have fallen off. 

 ^ The size of the ' head ' is that of the largest poppy, 

 and it has grooves all round it in the same way as 

 the poppy, but the fruit is set closer in these. This 

 is like millet. - In the Euphrates they say that the 

 'head' and the flowers sink and go under water in 

 the evening ^ till midnight, and sink to a consider- 

 able depth ; for one can not even reach them by 

 plunging one's hand in ; and that after this, when 

 dawn comes round, they rise and go on rising towards 

 day-break, being ^ visible above the water when the 

 sun appears ; and that then the plant opens its flower, 

 and, after it is open, it still rises ; and that it is 

 a considerable part which projects above the water. 

 These ' heads ' the Egyptians heap together and 

 leave to decay, and when the 'pod ' ^ has decayed, they 

 Avash the ' head ' in the river and take out the ' fruit,' ^ 

 and, having dried and pounded ° it, they make loaves 

 cif it, which they use for food. The root of the lotos 

 is called korsion,'' and it is round and about the size 

 C'f a quince ; it is enclosed in a black ' bark,' like the 

 shell of a chestnut. The inside is white ; but when 

 it is boiled or roasted, it becomes of the colour of 

 the yolk of an egg and is sweet to taste. The root 

 is also eaten raw, though it is best when boiled in 

 v/ater or roasted.^ Such are the plants found in 



v/ater. 



In sandy places which are not^ far from the river 



« iTTiVovTfi : cf. Hdt. 2. 92. ^ c/. Strabo 17. 2. 4. 



* iaeierai . . . oirr-fi conj. Sch. from Plin. I.e. and G ; eVfl. 

 S.; /col wfiov a.p(arr\ 5« iv rots uSofftc ahr)) wfjA\ Aid. ; apliXTT) Se 

 Kit Tojs SSaffiv avrriv UMV, thea o/iij U, ifiri V, wfii) M ; apiarTj 

 5'F fv T<f vSari fcpdi] f) Koi oitttJ H. 



* oil was apparently not in Pliny's text ; (21. 88.) 



355 



