Trees, Shrubs, and Plants of Virgil 



ViCIA. 



'tenues foetus viciae' (Ge. i. 75 ; cf. ib. 227). 



The vetch or tare (Vicia sativa) is a leguminous 

 plant developed in cultivation from V. angustifolia, 

 a plant common in most parts of Europe and 

 northern Africa. It is an annual, and in the wild 

 form the seeds are very small, hence tenues, though 

 they grow larger in the cultivated type. The plant 

 is grown for fodder, and the Romans were aware 

 that its roots enriched the ground. The reason of 

 this is explained under Faba. After the crop had 

 been mown, the ground was immediately ploughed, 

 and the nitrogen became available for the succeeding 

 crop. 



Flower, May and June. 

 Italian name, Veccia. 



Viola. 



' et nigrae violae sunt et vaccinia nigra ' {Ec. x. 39). 

 'molli viola' {ib. v. 38 ; Ae. x. 39). 

 ' pallentes violas ' (Ec. ii. 47). 

 'violaria' [Ge. iv. 32). 



It seems that the name covers several distinct 

 plants, as did the Greek hv. Our first passage, 

 which follows the line of Theocritus, 



Koi TO Lov fieXav ei/rl icai d ypawTa vclkivBos, 



refers to the sweet violet (Viola odorata), of which 

 the purple form was known as Sarran — that is, 

 Tyrian. The white form is also found in Italy; but 

 perhaps in our third passage Virgil is translating 



136 



