Enquiry into Plants, Vol. 2

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Among the spineless plants, it is not possible to make such distinctions by genera; for the irregularity of the leaves in size, smallness, and shape is infinite and ill-defined. Rather, one must attempt to divide them in another way. The genera of these are more numerous and possess great differences, such as the rock-rose, bryony, madder, spiraea, kneoron, marjoram, savory, sage (sphakos), salvia (elelisphakos), horehound, fleabane (konyza), balm, and other similar plants. In addition to these, there are also the ferula-like plants and those with a fibrous stem, such as fennel, horse-fennel, narthekia, narthex, and the plant called by some "mouse-bane," and all that are similar to these. For one might rightly place all of these, and in general whatever is ferula-like, in the class of under-shrubs.

II. The forms and differences of each of the aforementioned plants are, in some cases, more evident, and in others, less so. For they distinguish two kinds of rock-rose, the "male" and the "female," in that the one is larger, harder, and more glossy, and has a flower inclining to purple; both, however, are similar to wild roses, except that they are smaller and scentless.

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There are also two kinds of kneoron; for one is white and the other black. The white has a leaf...