certain animals, and the fur of certain of those which hibernate in hollows underground, fall off, and this process resembles the shedding of leaves.[1]
We ought, therefore, to treat of the subjects which we mentioned first, and begin by enumerating the parts which are peculiar to certain plants and those which are common to all, and their differences. Let us say, therefore, that there is a great diversity in plants in respect of number and fewness, largeness and smallness, and in respect of strength and weakness. The reason of this is that the moisture[2] which is found in large trees, is in some trees, the fig, for example, like milk, in others it is like pitch, as in the pine, in others it is watery,[3] like the liquid found in the vine, in others it is acrid,[4] like that found in marjoram and in the herb called opigaidum.[5] There are also plants which have their parts dry. Some plants have their parts well defined, and neither alike nor equal in size; others have parts which are similar to one another but not equal, in others they are equal but not similar, and their position is not fixed.[6] The differences of plants are recognized in their 819a parts, their form[7] and colour and sparseness and density and roughness and smoothness, and all[8] their incidental differences of taste,[9] their inequality of size, their numerical increase and decrease, their largeness and smallness. Some plants, too, will not be uniform, but will show great variation, as we have already said.
4 Some plants produce their fruit above their leaves, others beneath; in some plants the fruit is suspended from the stock of the tree, in others it grows from the root, as in the- ↑ Cf. Theophr. l. c. i. 1, 3
- ↑ The Aristotelian doctrine that moisture is the principle of plants is here again emphasized. Cf. above, 818a 2 and note.
- ↑ Meyer adds here ut in abiete et in quibusdam est aquosus, comparing Theophr. l. c. 12, 2 (
Greek characters).
- ↑ The MSS. read originalis which makes no sense; Meyer reads origanalis, 'like marjoram,' i.e. 'bitter, acrid,' but the word is probably corrupt-
- ↑ This word is hopelessly corrupt.
- ↑ 'Non est locus in situ, i.e. locus non est definitus' (Meyer).
- ↑ Figurae, &c.. 'vertendum potius fuisse arbitror cognoscitur et figura et colore,' &c. (Meyer).
- ↑ 'Omnia vertendum fuisset omnibus' (Meyer).
- ↑ Meyer adds saporum from Theophr. l. c. § 6 διαφοραὶ τῶν χυλῶν.
