Enquiry into Plants

Ἔχει δὲ αὐτὰ τὰ σπέρματα καὶ οἱ χιτῶνες οἱ περὶ αὐτὰ διαφορὰν τῶν χυλῶν. ὡς δ᾿ ἀπλῶς εἰπεῖν ἅπαντα τὰ μόρια τῶν δένδρων καὶ φυτῶν, οἷον ῥίζα καυλὸς ἀκρεμὼν φύλλον καρπός, ἔχει τινὰ οἰκειότητα πρὸς τὴν ὅλην φύσιν, εἰ καὶ παραλλάττει κατά τε τὰς ὀσμὰς καὶ τοὺς χυλούς, ὡς τὰ μὲν εὔοσμα καὶ εὐώδη τὰ δ᾿ ἄοσμα καὶ ἄχυλα παντελῶς εἶναι τῶν τοῦ αὐτοῦ μορίων.

Ἐνίων γὰρ εὔοσμα τὰ ἄνθη μᾶλλον ἢ τὰ φύλλα, τῶν δὲ ἀνάπαλιν τὰ φύλλα μᾶλλον καὶ οἱ κλῶνες, ὥσπερ τῶν στεφανωματικῶν· τῶν δὲ οἱ καρποί· τῶν δ᾿ οὐδέτερον· ἐνίων δ᾿ αἱ ῥίζαι· τῶν δέ τι μέρος. ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ κατὰ τοὺς χυλούς· τὰ μὲν γὰρ βρωτὰ τὰ δ᾿ ἄβρωτα τυγχάνει καὶ ἐν φύλλοις καὶ περικαρπίοις. ἰδιώτατον δὲ τὸ ἐπὶ τῆς φιλύρας· ταύτης γὰρ τὰ μὲν φύλλα γλυκέα καὶ πολλὰ τῶν ζώων ἐσθίει, ὁ δὲ καρπὸς οὐδενὶ βρωτός· ἐπεὶ τό γε ἀνάπαλιν οὐδὲν θαυμαστόν, ὥστε τὰ μὲν φύλλα μὴ ἐσθίεσθαι τοὺς δὲ καρποὺς οὐ μόνον ὑφ᾿ ἡμῶν ἀλλὰ καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν ἄλλων ζώων. ἀλλὰ καὶ περὶ τούτου καὶ τῶν ἄλλων τῶν τοιούτων ὕστερον πειρατέον θεωρεῖν τὰς αἰτίας.

XIII. Νῦν δὲ τοσοῦτον ἔστω δῆλον, ὅτι κατὰ πάντα τὰ μέρη πλείους εἰσὶ διαφοραὶ πολλαχῶς· [*](¹ i. e. the pulp. ² i. e. the flavour.) [*](³ Sense: Every tree has a characteristic juice of its own, which is however specially recognisable in its fruit ; in the tree as a whole its character is not always apparent. Hence the importance of the flavour (which is seen in the fruit. pulp), since it is this which determines the specific character,)

Ἐν δὲ τοῖς ἐπετείοις σχεδὸν τά γε πλείω τοιαῦτα καὶ δίχροα καὶ διανθῆ. λέγω δὲ διανθὲς ὅτι ἕτερον ἄνθος ἐν τῷ ἄνθει ἔχει κατὰ μέσον. ὥσπερ τὸ ῥόδον καὶ τὸ κρίνον καὶ τὸ ἴον τὸ μέλαν. ἔνια δὲ καὶ μονόφυλλα φύεται διαγραφὴν ἔχοντα μόνον τῶν πλειόνων, ὥσπερ τὸ τῆς ἰασιώνης· οὐ γὰρ κεχώρισται ταύτης ἐν τῷ ἄνθει τὸ φύλλον ἕκαστον· οὐδὲ δὴ τοῦ λειρίου τὸ κάτω μέρος, ἀλλὰ ἐκ τῶν ἄκρων ἀποφύσεις γωνιώδεις. σχεδὸν δὲ καὶ τὸ τῆς ἐλάας τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν.