OF ACCOMPANYING ANIMALS AND PLANTS. 449 



" 59 B, C." (Liv., and Clint.), at Rome, an agrarian law carried against all opposition by Caesar ; 

 one of the consuls for this year. The provinces of Illyricum and Cisalpine and Transalpine Gaul, 

 assigned to Caesar for five years (Sra. b. d.). 



About this time, the Danube crossed and the country North of the Adriatic ravaged by the Getae 

 or Dacians ; who under their king Boerebistas (compare Ariovistus) had acquired great power. 

 Strabo vii. 3- 5 further states, that Caesar sent an expedition against " VurSvistas." 



Ornithopus compressus of the Mediterranean countries. The " karopithla " of the Dacians, — 

 identified in the Syn. Diosc. with the " katanagke," having according to Dioscorides a slender root, 

 long leaves as in " koronopothos," six or seven heads of " 6rov6 "-like fruit that in drying curve 

 towards the earth like the talons of a dead kite, is referred here by Sprengel : the "katanagke" is 

 further identified in the Syn. Diosc. with the " arharas " or " arkopous " of the prophets ; and the 

 " catanancem " of Thessaly employed for amatory purposes and detecting magic, is mentioned by 

 Pliny xxvii. 35 : O. compressus was observed by Sibthorp, and Chaubard, from Caria to the Pelo- 

 ponnesus. Westward, the " katanagke " or " thamnamSne " or " thionusias " or " thursion " or 

 "themos " or "krotion " is identified in the Syn. Diosc. with the " Srva philikla" or "thatiska" or 

 "iovis mathi5us " of the Romans ; and the " pes milvinus " is mentioned by Columella. . . (Ruel ii. 

 62): O. compressus is termed " ornithopodium scorpioides siliqua compressa" by Tournefort inst. 

 400 ; and is known to grow in Italy, Sicily, Barbary, and Southern France (Bergeret ii. pi. 191, All., 

 and Pers.). 



Ornithopus ebractcatus of the Mediterranean countries. — The " katanaghe Stfiron" employed 

 like the preceding for amatory philtres by the Thessalian women, and further described by Dioscorides 

 as having a small root, leaves in form and colour like those of the olive but soft and divided spreading 

 on the ground, and small fruit pierced into many parts " Sr£vinthon"-like, may be compared: of the 

 added Synonyms, the "kemos " seems to belong here, for the " cemos " is distinguished by Pliny 

 xxvii. 35 from the " catanancem," but is employed for the same purposes (compare " kemos = l£on- 

 topothion" in Diosc. iv. 129) : O. ebracteatus was observed by Chaubard in the Subalpine portion 

 of the Peloponnesus. Westward, is described by Dalechamp p. 487 ; and is known to grow in Spain, 

 Portugal, and Southern France (Brot., Vivian., Dec. fl. fr., and Pers.). 



Aster tripoliicm of the European seashore, along the Atlantic and Mediterranean. Called in 

 Britain share-wort (Prior), equivalent to the "iggunalis " of the Romans or "vouvSnion" identified 

 in the Syn. Diosc. with the "rathivitha" of the Dacians: — the account by Dioscorides of the 

 "aster attikos " may in part belong here : A. tripolium was.observed by Sibthorp sparingly on the 

 seashore of the Greek islands. Westward, the account of the "aster" or "bubonion" by Pliny 

 xxvii. 19 seems chiefly taken from Dioscorides ; A. tripolium is termed "a. maritimus palustris caeru- 

 leus salicis folio" by Tournefort inst. 481, "a. pannonicus " by Jacquin (Bieb.) ; and is known to 

 grow on the seashore of France and Britain (Engl. bot. pi. 87, and Pers.). 



Ervlhrcea centaurium of Europe and the adjoining portion of Asia. Called in Britain earth-gall 

 or lesser centaury, in Anglo-Saxon " eorth-gealle," in Germany " tausendgulden" from "centum 

 aureos " or " centaurium " (Prior), in Italy " centaurea minore " (Lenz), in Greece "thSrmohorton" 

 (Sibth.) or " phlouskouni " (Fraas), in Egypt " kantarian " (Forsk.) ; in which we recognize the 

 "Mntaurion mikron" identified in Syn. Diosc. with the " toulvela " of the Dacians : — the " kSntau- 

 rion mikron kai ISpton " is described by Dioscorides as more than a span high with purplish-red 

 flowers and a diminutive root: E. centaurium was observed by Sibthorp, Chaubard, and Fraas, fre- 

 quent in open situations from the Peloponnesus throughout Greece ; by Forskal p. Ixiv, around Cairo 

 in E<rypt, and in frequent medicinal use. Westward, the "kgntaurion mikron" or "limnaion " or 

 "aima eraklSous" is further identified in Syn. Diosc. with the "ph£uriphougiam " or "aura moulti 

 rathix " of the Romans ; the " centaurion lepton " or " fel terrae " or "libadion," by Pliny xxv. 31 

 with the " exacon " of the Gauls : E. centaurium is described by Io. lac. Manliis de Bosco f. 72, and 

 Brunfels (Spreng.) ; is termed " centaurium minus " by Tournefort inst. 122 ; and is known to grow 

 from Italy throughout middle Europe as far as Denmark (fl. Dan. pi. 617, Rafn, and Pers.). By 

 European colonists, was carried to Northeast America, where it continues at Oswego on Lake Ontario 

 " near the old fort " (A. Gray). The plant according to Lindley continues to be " collected for use 

 in rustic pharmacy," possessing "all the essential properties of the gentian of the shops." 



Hyoscyamus niger of Europe and Northern Asia. Called in Anglo-Saxon " henne-belle," con- 

 verted after the days of Gerarde into henbane (Prior), in Germany " bilse " or "bilsenkraut " (Grieb), 

 in France " jusquiame " (Nugent), in Italy "giusquiamo " or " josciamo nero "_ or " dente cavallino " 

 (Lenz), in Greece " gerSs " (Fraas), in which we recognize the "uoskuamos" identified in Syn. 

 Diosc. with the " thiSlSia " of the Dacians, " vilinbuntia " of the Gauls, and "phavoul6nia" of the 

 Tuscans ■ — also the kind of " hyoscyamus " described by Pliny xxv. 17 as " vulgare " and paler, the 

 " jusquianus " of Palladius i. 35 and Vegetius ii. 12, the " hyoscyamon " identified by Beda tabernac. 

 lit 8 with the plant called " acharo " in Britain, and the " acharonia " or " jusqmamus " of Albertus 



57 



