68 THE TREES AND SHRUBS [LECT. 



Archipelago, is identified by Sibthorp with the 

 Ad8ai>ov of Dioscorides, whilst the 0. villosus is 

 set down by him as corresponding with K/O-TO? 

 appr)v, and C. salvifolius with /c/crros" 6r)\vs. 



The substance called Ledanum, or Labdanum, is 

 a resinous exudation from the Cistus creticus, and 

 probably from other species of this tribe. Indeed 

 the C. ledon of our gardens, commonly called the 

 Gum Cistus, owes its vernacular name to the resin 

 it exudes. Herodotus f tells us that ArjSavov comes 

 from Arabia, and that it is gathered from the beards 

 of goats, to which it is found adhering. Dioscorides g 

 repeats the same story, but Pliny b adds, that it is 

 obtained from the Island of Cyprus, reporting the 

 same account as to its being collected from goats, 

 but adding some other particulars which are evi- 

 dently fictitious. In Africa and Syria, however, he 

 says, it is procured in a different manner, namely, 

 by passing over the plant, a string covered with 

 wool, to which the drops of resinous matter attach 

 themselves. A practice similar to this last is pur- 

 sued, according to Tournefort, in Crete, where the 

 gummy matter is collected by a kind of whip or 

 rake with a double row of leathern thongs. With 

 this the country people brush the plants, and when 

 the whips are sufficiently charged with the juice, 

 it is scraped off by knives and made into cakes. 

 Ledanum possesses stimulant properties, and was 

 highly esteemed in ancient times, but is now ob- 

 solete. 



' Lib. iii. c. 112. De M. M. i. 128. b xii. 37. 



