BOOK XII. XLV. 99-xLvii. 103 



as an ingredient in unguents. It fetches up to G 

 denarii a pound. 



XLVI. The Cave-dweller country and the Thebaid Behen-mu. 

 and Arabia where it separates Judaea from Egypt 

 all ahke have the myrobalanum," which is grown for 

 scent, as is shown by its name itself, which also indi- 

 cates in addition that it is a nut ; it is a tree with a 

 leaf that resembles that of the hehotrope, which we 

 shall describe among the herbaceous plants, and a 

 fruit the size of a hazel-nut. The variety growhig in xx.57. 

 Arabia is called the Syrian nut, and is white in coiour, 

 whereas the Thebaid kind is black ; the former is 

 preferred for the excellent quahty of the oil extracted 

 from it, but the Thebaic for its large yield. The 

 Cave-dweller kind is the worst among the varieties. 

 Some persons prefer to these the Ethiopian behen, 

 which has a black oily nut and a slender kernel, but 

 the hquid squeezed out of it has a stronger scent ; 

 it grows in level districts, It is said that the Egyptian 

 nut is even more oleaginous and has a thicker shell 

 of a reddish colour, and that though it grows on 

 marshy ground the plant is shorter and drier, whereas 

 the Arabian variety, on the contrary, is green in colour 

 and also smaller in size and more compact in shape * 

 because it hkes mountain regions ; but the Petraean 

 kind, coming from the town mentioned above, is a vi. 144. 

 long way the best — it has a black rind and a white 

 kernel. Perfumiers, however, only extract the juice 

 from the shells, but medical men also crush the 

 kernels, gradually pouring warm water on them while 

 pounding them. 



XLVII. The palm-tree growing in Egypt called the Scented 

 adipsos '^ is used in a similar way to the behen-nut in ^" "** 

 perfumery, and is almost as much in request ; it is 



73 



