( m6 ) 
AiiTo VIII. — On the Ancient History of Leguminous Fruits, 
By Professor Link. (Concluded from Vol. V. p. 131.) 
OciMUM {ax,lf4,oy) is reckoned by Theophrastus, in the often 
quoted passage among greens. It has a woody root, like 
(H. PI. 1. i. c. 6. § 6. Schn.), and is propagated by shoots (utto 
like c^tyotvc^, (1. vi. c. 2. § 1.), the root simple and thick, (§ 7.) 
Dioscorides (1. ii. c. 171.) does not describe the plant ; Galen says 
it is difficult of digestion, {Op. Basil, iv. 333.). Our Basil {Oci- 
mum basilicum) has been suspected to be the plant, but it does 
not correspond. Sprengel {Geschichte der Botanik) quotes a pas- 
sage from Belon’s Travels, (ii. c. 40.), in which it is said, that Oci- 
mum or Basilicum grows three times as high in the East as with 
us, and is cultivated as greens. But has not Belon taken an- 
other plant for it ? The testimony of the ancients is not so dis- 
tinct as that we can rest on that account. 
Foeniculum of the Romans, is placed by Galen 
among pot-herbs, and ranked with Anethuniy which is njore 
used as a seasoning to food. Theophrastus ascribes to it a 
naked seed, ranks it with coriander, {H. PI. 1. i. c. 11. § 
calls it sweet-smelling, when joined with other umbelliferous 
plants (c. \% § 2.), and places it among the ferulacece and 
viv^oKoivXoi, (1. vi. c. 1. § 4.) Galen and Dioscorides do not de- 
scribe the Fennel. The general agreement, even of different 
languages, — the comparison with other plants, — even the pro- 
perties that have been mentioned, preclude any doubt of fAcl^aeB-^ov 
being our Fennel. It is eaten in the south of Europe as greens. 
As little can we doubt that the ww, of the 
ancients, although not described, (Theophrastus ascribes to it a 
woody root. Hist PI. 1. vii. c. 2. § 8.), yet, when compared with 
other umbelliferous plants, in respect to the uses made of it, and 
the general agreement, is our Dill, {Anethum graveolens). The 
same thing applies to which is probably our Co- 
riander. Of the umbelliferous plants, many are eaten by us as 
greens, for instance, Scandix cerfolium^ Myrrhis odorata^ 
ChfErophyllum sylvestre^ Mgapodium Podagraria^ and several 
others, sometimes by themselves, sometimes along with other 
plants. Dioscorides mentions three such edible plants. 
