Pliny Natural History, Vol. VI (Loeb Latin-English)

THE BOTANY OF PLINY.

The identification of plants mentioned in the Natural History is a difficult matter. Pliny was not a botanist, but derived his information from books, which were often read aloud to him while he took notes, rather than studied at leisure. Naturally, he made mistakes due to misunderstandings. Pliny’s authorities, in turn, were sometimes inadequate, confused, or even wrong. In addition to the difficulties caused by factual error, there is also another issue due to the fact that the same name was often given to more than one plant, and the same plant was often called by more than one name. Accordingly, even a trained botanist hesitates at times to identify with any confidence the modern equivalent of an ancient name in a particular context. Sometimes, of course, there is no reasonable doubt; rosa is a rose, and cepa is an onion. Often, however, even when certain that a Latin or Greek name is generally equivalent to an English one, the botanist is not sure that a variety included by Pliny, or Theophrastus, under the former should also be included under the latter. The degree of doubt may vary from moral certainty to slight suspicion. Typical difficulties face the translator when he has to render into English asparagus, hyacinthus, and strychnos. To keep the Latin name always would be consistent, but cumbersome and pedantic. It seems better to give the English name when the risk of error is slight, but to keep the Latin when the risk is great. An index of plants,This index is in preparation and will appear at the end of Pliny’s botany books. with probable or possible identifications, should give most readers the information