Enquiry into Plants, Vol. 2

likewise, such as radish, rue, and those which are similar to these. Of which it is perhaps no less fitting to speak according to their proper designation, when we make mention of coronary plants and pot-herbs. But now let us speak first of the wild ones. There are many kinds and parts of these, which one must distinguish both according to the individual genus and the general kinds.

One might take the greatest difference of the general genera to be that some happen to be spineless, while others are spinous. Again, within each of these there are many differences of genera and species, of which we must attempt to speak under each head.

3 Of the spinous kinds, some simply consist of spines, as asparagus and skorpios; for they have no leaf at all other than the spine. Others are spinous-leaved, such as the thistle, eryngo, and safflower; for these and such like have the spine upon the leaves, for which reason they are called spinous-leaved. Others also have a different leaf beside the spine, as the rest-harrow, the caltrop, and the pheos, which some call stoibe. But the caltrop is also spinous-fruited; for it has spines in the fruit-vessel, which is why this is a peculiarity compared to all others, so to speak; since many trees and shrubs also have spinous shoots, such as the wild pear, pomegranate, Christ’s thorn, bramble, rose, and caper. These, then, are the differences one might grasp in the spinous plants, so to speak.