PLINY: NATURAL HISTORY 



19 nascenti similis, latissimis foliis. alia funditur e 

 cnule malvaceo folia oleae habente — mucetuni vo- 

 cant — , atque inter has media magniUidine aulum- 

 nalis quam coroniolam appellant, ornnes sine odore 

 praeter coroniolam et in rubo natam. tot modis 

 adulteratur. et alias vera quoque plurimum solo 

 praevalet. Cyrenis odoratissima est, ideoque ibi 

 unguentum pulcherrimum, Carthagine Hispaniae 

 hieme tota praecox. refert et caeli temperies, 

 quibusdam enim annis minus odorata provenit, 



20 praeterea omnis siccis quam umidis odoratior. seri 

 neque pinguibus volt neque argillosis locis nec riguis, 

 contenta ruderibus,^ proprieque ruderatum agrum 

 amat. praecox Campana est, sera Milesia, novis- 

 sime tamen desinit Praenestina. fodiuntur altius 

 quam fruges, levius quam vites. tardissime pro- 

 veniunt semine, quod in ipso cortice est, sub ipso 

 flore, opertum lanugine. ob id potius caule conciso 

 inseruntur. et ocellis radicis, ut harundo, unum 

 genus inseritur palHdae, spinosae, longissimis virgis, 



^ nideribus Dellefsen : roribiLs Mayhoff • ruderaceum 

 qnattuor codd. : ruribus aut raribus alii. 



" The spelling is doubtful, as is of course the kind of rose 

 referred to. Some think it not to be a rose at all. 



' Apparently referring to the last four kinds mentioned. 

 But these do not include a rose " growing on the bramble," 

 which is mentioned early in the chapter, where it is said to 

 have a perfume, but a faint one. The different kinds of 

 vvild rose may include some, if not most, of these doubtful 

 cases. 



" The meaning is uncertain, probably being that there are 

 many counterfeit roses, as it were, not true members of the 

 family. 



■^ It seems impossible to decide whether odoratissimvs and 

 odoratior refer to the strength of the scent or to its quality, or 

 to both. 



