2 THE TREES AND SHRUBS [LECT. 



Jujube, the Pomegranate, the Apricot, as well as 

 the Olive, and probahly even the Vine, were of 

 foreign origin. 



Thus the Cherry was brought from Pontus by 

 Lucullus after his victory over Mithridates ; the 

 Peach, or Mains Persica, was introduced from 

 Persia ; the Quince, Mains Cydonia, from Crete ; 

 the Damson, Primus Damascena, from Damascus ; 

 the Olive, in the reign of Tarquinius Prisons, from 

 Greece ; and even the Vine, though considered by 

 Pliny as indigenous to Italy, probably found its 

 way there from the same country. 



As to the Plum, the wild variety, Primus insititia, 

 is indigenous in Italy, but the Apricot was im- 

 ported from Armenia, as was the Jujube tree from 

 Syria. 



The Pistachia tree, Pistacia vera, L., which yields 

 the nuts so common in the south of France and 

 in Italy, was introduced from Syria by Vitellius, as 

 late as the reign of Tiberius, and from the same 

 country came the Carob tree, Ceratonia siliqua, now 

 abundant everywhere. 



From Syria was derived the common Fig, Ficus 

 carica ; from Egypt the Sycamore Fig, Ficus syca- 

 morus ; and from Carthage the Pomegranate. Even 

 the Medlar did not exist in Italy at the time when 

 Cato wrote. 



The only native fruit-trees therefore were, per- 

 haps the Mulberry, Moras of Pliny, which abounded 

 in Italy, though not known in early Greece, and 

 therefore is by some believed to have been im- 



