ENQUIRY INTO PLANTS, V. m. 1-3 



Box and ebony seem to have the closest and 

 heaviest wood ; for their wood does not even float on 

 water. This applies to the box-tree as a whole, and 

 to the core of the ebony, which contains the black 

 pigment.^ The nettle-tree also is very close and heavy, 

 and so is the core of the oak, which is called ' heart 

 of oak,' and to a still greater degree this is true 

 of the core of laburnum ^ ; for this seems to resemble 

 the ebony. 



The wood of the terebinth is also very black and 

 close-grained ; at least in S\Tia ^ they say that it Ls 

 blacker than ebony, that in fact they use it for making 

 their dagger handles ; and by means of the lathe- 

 chisel they also make of it ' Theriklean ' cups,* so 

 that no one could ^ distinguish these frona cups made 

 of potter}' ; for this purpose they use, it is said, the 

 heart-wood, but the wood has to be oiled, for then 

 it becomes comelier and blacker. 



There is also, they say, another tree ^ which, as 

 well as the black colour, has a sort of reddish 

 variegation, so that it looks like variegated ebony, 

 and of it are made beds and couches and other things 

 of superior quality. This tree is very large and has 

 handsome leaves and is like the pear. 



These trees then, as well as the black colour, have 

 <!lose wood ; so also have maple zy^a and in general 

 i\\ those that are of compact growth ; so also have 

 the olive and the wild olive, but their wood is 

 brittle.' Of wild trees which are used for roof- 

 timbers the wood of the silver-fir is the least com- 



colour to the cups made by Therikles, a famous CJorinthian 

 f otter ; see reff. to comedy in LS. *.i'. 



* fxTlSeva tiy conj. W. ; jUtjS' iv tva Aid. 



• Sissoo wood. See Index App. (21). 



' aX\a Kpavpa conj. Sch.; aAXa kuI avpa MVAld. 



Ii 



433 



