BOOK XII. XII. 24-xiv. 27 



people. The tree is called the pala," and the fruit 

 ariena, It is most frequent in the territory of the 

 Sydraci, which was the farthest point reached by the 

 expeditions of Alexander. There is also another 

 tree resembHng this one, the fruit of which is sweeter, 

 but causes derangement of the bowels. Alexander 

 issued an order in advance forbidding any member of 

 his expedition to touch it. 



XIII. The Macedonians have given accounts of 

 kinds of trees that for the most part have no names. 

 There is also one that resembles the terebinth in every 

 other respect but the fruit of which is like an ahnond, 

 though smaller, and is remarkably sweet. at all 

 events when grown in Bactria. This tree has been 

 considered by some persons to be a special kind of 

 terebinth rather than another plant resembUng it. 



The tree^ frorn which they make Hnen for clothing Theflax-tree 

 resembles a mulberry by its leaves, but the calyx of 

 the fruit is Hke that of a dog-rose. It is grown in 

 the plains, and no other plantations add more to the 

 beauty of the landscape, 



XIV. The oHve-tree of India is barren, except for The 



the fruit of the wild oHve. But trees resembHng p'pp^-^'''- 

 our junipers that bear pepper occur everywhere, 

 althougii some writers have reported that they only 

 grow on the southern face of the Caucasus.^ The 

 seeds differ from those of the juniper by being in 

 smaH pods, Hke those which we see in the case of the 

 kidney-bean ; these pods when plucked before they 

 open and dried in the sun produce wliat is caUed 

 ' long pepper,' but if left to open gradually, when 

 ripe they disclose white pepper, which if afterwards 

 dried in the sun changes colour and wrinkles up. 

 Even these products, however, have their own special 



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