308 CHRONOLOGICAL ARRANGEMENT 



and according to Lindley, A. rotunda with the preceding and other species " are supposed to be the 

 plants with which the Egyptian jugglers stupify the snakes they play with." Westward, the round- 

 rooted " aristolochia " is described by Pliny xxv. 54 as having leaves intermediate between " malvam " 

 and "ederam," blacker and softer: A. rotunda is described by Matthioli, and Camerarius epit. 419; 

 is termed "a. rotunda flore ex purpura nigro " by Tournefort inst. 162; was observed by Forskal 

 near Marseilles ; is known to grow also in Italy and other parts of Southern Europe (Pers., and 

 Lenz). 



Aristolochia parvifolia of the East Mediterranean countries. Called in Greece " pikrorriza " 

 (Fraas), and possibly included in the " aristolohia " of the Hippocratic writings: — the " makra 

 aristolohia" or " thaktulitis" having according to Dioscorides a purple flower eventually becoming 

 much like a pear "apiS," root as thick as the finger and a span or more long, is referred here by 

 Sibthorp, and Fraas : A. parvifolia is termed " a. chia longa folio minori subrotundo flore tenuissimo " 

 by Tournefort cor. 8; and was observed by Wheler trav. pi. 414, Sibthorp, and Fraas, frequent in 

 Greece. 



Arum dracunculus of the Mediterranean countries. Called in Greece " phithohorton " or 

 "thrakontia," in which we recognize the " thrakontiou " described by Theophrastus vii. 12.2 as 

 having an inedible medicinal root, and from its spotted stem called " aron :" the APOY:MErAAOY 

 is mentioned in 3 Morb. 493 ; — the "thrakontia megale," by Dioscorides as growing in the shade 

 of hedges, its stem spotted with purple and " lapatho "-like leaves implicated together: A. dracun- 

 culus was observed by Sibthorp, Chaubard, and Fraas, frequent in the above-described situations 

 in Greece. Westward, the "thrakontia megale" or "aron" or "isaron" or " iaron " or " viaron " 

 is identified in Syn. Diosc. with the " louroumam " or " mauriariam " or " sigiggialios " of the 

 Romans; and the "maiorcJm" kind of " dracunculus " is mentioned by Pliny xxiv. 93 : A. dracun- 

 culus is described by Brunfels, Fuchsius, Tragus, and Dodoens ; is termed " dracunculus polyphyllus " 

 by Tournefort inst. 160; and is known to grow in Carniolia and throughout Southern Europe (Pers., 

 and Spreng.). 



Hypericum coris of the Mediterranean countries. Called in Greece " valsamino " or " phou- 

 thoura" or "gouthoura" (Sibth.) or " arkouthoura " (Fraas); and the KOPHN of Hippocrates — 

 identified with the "upeVikon" by Galen, or the "koris" according to Dioscorides by some called 

 " upSrikon," an odorous shrub a span high with " Sreikes "-like leaves, is referred here by writers : 

 H. coris was observed (on Crete) by Honorius Bellus (Ponam. bald. pi. 40) ; by Sibthorp, Chaubard, 

 and Fraas, abounding on the dry hills from the Peloponnesus throughout Greece and the Greek 

 islands. Westward, the account by Pliny xxvi. 54 of the "hypericon" by some called "corin," 

 seems chiefly taken from Dioscorides : H. coris is described by Matthioli pi. 669, and Morison ii. 5. 

 pi. 6; is termed "h. saxatile tenuissimo et glauco folio" by Tournefort inst. 255 ; and is known to 

 grow in Italy and Southern France (Lam. fl. fr., Pers., Spreng., and Lenz). 



Alcea acaulis of the East Mediterranean countries. A low almost stemless species of hollihock ; 

 and the "althaeae" of Hippocrates, the juice of its root prescribed against thirst from loss of blood 

 — (Plin. xx. .84), may be compared: the "althaian," a medicinal plant having soft stems, leaves like 

 those of "malahe" but larger and more hairy, flowers yellow, and root said to render water gelati- 

 nous, is according to Theophrastus ix 16. 5 to iS. 1 called " malahen agrian" in Arcadia; and the 

 "malahe agria" is prescribed in Mul. morb. p. 715, and by Nicander ther. 89 and alex. 486: A. acaulis 

 is termed " malva rosea folio subrotundo chalepensis acaulos flore pallide luteo" by Tournefort inst. 

 95; is described also by Cavanilles ii. pi. 27 (Pers.) ; and was observed by Sibthorp in Greece, but 

 the locality not recorded (J. E. Smith). 



Viola canina of Europe and Northern Asia. Called in Britain dog violet (Prior), in Greece 

 "violeta" (Sibth.), and the AEYKOIOY: KAPPON prescribed by Hippocrates — and identified 

 by Dioscorides (of Alexandria ?), and Galen, with seeds of " iou l£ukou," maybe compared: the 

 " lfiukoiou rizes " is prescribed in •> Morb. mul. 73; the "leukoion " or "leuk6 iu" or "iCnias tes 

 Ifiukes " is described by Theophrastus iii. 18. 13 to vi. 8. 5 as the earliest flower of spring, the plant 

 lasting three years, the flower itself entirely resembling that of the " melan ion ; " the " l£ukoion " is 

 mentioned also by Dercyllus (Plut. fluv. 8. 4), Nicander, Hicesius, and a white-flowered kind by 

 Dioscorides : V. canina was observed by Sibthorp, and Chaubard, from the Peloponnesus and 

 Cyprus to the Bithynian Olympus; is known to grow also in Iberia and Persia (Bieb.). Westward, 

 the "pallens viola" is mentioned by Virgil eel. ii. 47; the "viola alba," by Pliny xxi. 38 to 76 as 

 flowering at the opening of spring and employed medicinally, its flower "suppurata aperit, ipsa dis- 

 cutit: " V. canina is termed "v. martia inodora sylvestris " by Tournefort inst. 419; Is known to grow 

 from the Canaries throughout middle and Northern Europe to Lapland, Iceland, and " Lat. 6i° " in 

 Greenland (Hook., Dec, and Wats.), var. "lactea" having whitish-blue flowers (Smith fl. brit. i. p. 

 247). Eastward from Persia, is known to grow as far as Northeastern Asia and Japan (Bieb., Dec, 

 and Wats.). The plant according to Lindley is considered a " depurative, and recommended for 

 the removal of cutaneous affections, root emetic." 



