Pliny: Natural History, Vol. IV

numinum ora spectarentur et mensarum pedes. produnt Alpibus coercitas ut tum inexuperabili munimento Gallias hanc primum habuisse causam superfundendi se Italiae, quod Helico ex Helvetiis civis earum fabrilem ob artem Romae commoratus ficum siccam et uvam oleique ac vini praemissa remeans secum tulisset; quapropter haec vel bello quaesisse venia sit.

6 III. Sed quis non iure miretur arborem umbrae gratia tantum ex alieno petitam orbe? platanus haec est, in mare Ionium Diomedis insula tenus eiusdem tumuli gratia primum invecta, inde in Siciliam transgressa atque inter primas donata Italiae, et iam ad Morinos usque pervecta ac tributarium etiam detinens solum, ut gentes vectigal et pro umbra 7 pendant. Dionysius prior Siciliae tyrannus Regium in urbem transtulit eas domus suae miraculum, ubi postea factum gymnasium; nec potuisse in amplitudine augescere aut alias fuisse in Italia omni 8 ac Spaniam apud auctores invenitur. IV. Hoc actum circa captae urbis aetatem; tantumque postea honoris increvit ut mero infuso enutriantur: compertum id maxime prodesse radicibus, docuimusque etiam arbores vina potare!

and the legs of our tables made of the same ivory. It is stated that the Gauls, imprisoned as they were by the Alps as by a then insuperable bulwark, first found a motive for overflowing into Italy from the circumstance that a Gallic citizen from Switzerland original: "Helvetiis" named Helico, who had sojourned at Rome on account of his skill as an artificer, had brought with him when he came back some dried figs and grapes and some samples of oil and wine; and consequently we may pardon them for having sought to obtain these things even by means of war.

Trees introduced from abroad: the plane.

III. But who would not be justifiably surprised to hear that a tree has been procured from another clime merely for the sake of shade? This tree is the plane, which was first imported into the Ionian Sea as far as the island of Diomedes likely referring to the Tremiti Islands to plant over the tomb of Diomede, and which crossed from there to Sicily and was one of the first trees bestowed on Italy, and which has now travelled as far as the Morini a tribe in Northern Gaul, modern-day Belgium/France and actually occupies soil that pays tribute to Rome, so that the tribes have to pay rent even for shade. The elder Dionysius, the tyrant of Sicily, imported plane-trees to the city of Reggio as a marvel to adorn his palace, on the site where afterwards a gymnasium was built; and it is found in the authorities that these trees were not able to grow to full size, and that in all Italy there were no others except the Spania rare Pliny notes that 'Spania' is often misread as 'Spain' in earlier texts.. IV. This took place at about the period of the capture of Rome 390 B.C.; and so much honour has since accrued to plane-trees that their growth is encouraged by having wine poured on them, as it has been found that this is of the greatest benefit to the roots, and we have taught even trees to be wine-bibbers!