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Aristotle · On Plants §1.3.10-1.3.16

Shedding of Plant Parts and Their Classification

Passage 8 of 27 · Greek

Summary

The text examines the shedding and persistence of plant parts by comparing them to animal hair and horns, and initiates a classification of specific and common parts, focusing on their diverse shapes and juices.

§1.3.10Καὶ ὅταν γεννηθῇ τι εἶδος φυτοῦ, μένει ἐν τῇ οἰκείᾳ διαθέσει, ἂν μή τινι χρονικῇ ἀσθενείᾳ καὶ βαρείᾳ τῆς οἰκείας ἐκπέσῃ τοιᾶσδε διαθέσεως.
And when any species of plant is generated, it remains in its proper disposition, unless it falls away from its proper such disposition due to some chronic and severe illness.
Τῶν ἀνθέων τοίνυν καὶ τῶν καρπῶν καὶ τῶν φύλλων τῶν ἐν τοῖς φυτοῖς τινὰ μὲν ἐν παντὶ ἔτει εἰσί, τινὰ δὲ οὐχ οὕτως ἔχει οὐδὲ διαμένουσιν, ὡς ὁ φλοιὸς καί τι σῶμα πῖπτον ἀπὸ πράγματος τοῦ ἀπορρίπτοντος τοῦτο διά τινα αἰτίαν.
Now, of the flowers, fruits, and leaves in plants, some exist every year, but some are not so, nor do they persist, like bark and some body falling from a thing that casts it off for some reason.
§1.3.11Οὐ μένουσι δὲ ταῦτα ἐν τῷ φυτῷ, ὅτι πολλάκις πίπτουσιν ἐξ αὐτοῦ μέρη τινὰ μὴ διωρισμένα, ὡς τρίχες ἐξ ἀνθρώπων καὶ ὄνυχες.
And these do not remain in the plant, because often certain parts that are not delimited fall from it, like hair and nails from humans.
Πλὴν γεννῶνται τρίχες ἢ ἐν αὐτοῖς τοῖς μέρεσιν ὅθεν ἐξέπεσον, ἢ ἐκτὸς ἐν ἄλλοις.
However, hair is generated either in those very parts from which they fell, or outside in others.
Καὶ ἤδη φανερὸν γέγονεν ὅτι τὰ μέρη τοῦ φυτοῦ οὐκ εἰσὶ διωρισμένα, εἴτε καὶ μή, ἀλλὰ μόνον ἀδιόριστα.
And it has already become clear that the parts of the plant are not delimited (whether indeed they are so or not) but only undelimited.
§1.3.12Ἡμῖν δὲ αἰσχρόν ἐστι λέγειν πράγματά τινα μεθ’ ῏ον αὐξάνεται τὸ ζῷον καὶ συμπληροῦται μετ’ αὐτῶν, μὴ εἶναι μέρη αὐτοῦ, ἀλλ’ εἶναι κατὰ τὰ φύλλα καὶ πάντα τὰ τοιαῦτα τὰ ἐν τῷ φυτῷ, κἂν καὶ οὐκ ὦσιδιωρισμένα τὰ τοιαῦτα μέρη τοῦ ζῴου, κἂν καὶ κατὰ μικρὸν ἐκπίπτωσιν, ὡς τὰ κέρατα τῆς ἐλάφου καὶ κόμαι τινῶν ζῴων καὶ τρίχες ἄλλων, ἃ δὴ κρύπτουσιν ἑαυτὰ κατὰ τὸν χειμερινὸν καιρὸν ἐν ὀπαῖς καὶ ὑπὸ γῆν πίπτουσι, κἂν καὶ τὸ τοιοῦτον πάθος παρόμοιον ἔχωσι τῇ πτώσει τῶν φυτῶν.
But it is shameful for us to say that certain things, with which the animal grows and with them is completed, are not parts of it, but are like the leaves and all such things in the plant, even if such parts of the animal are not delimited, and even if they fall off little by little, like the horns of a hind, and the manes of some animals, and the hair of others, which indeed hide themselves during the winter season in holes and go under the earth, even if they have such an affection similar to the falling of plants.
§1.3.13Ὀφείλομεν οὖν εἰπεῖν περὶ τῶν πραγμάτων ὦν πρότερον ἰστορήσαμεν, καὶ ἄρξασθαι ἀπαριθμεῖν τὰ ἴδια μέρη τῶν φυτῶν καὶ τὰ κοινά καὶ τὰς τούτων διαφοράς.
We ought, therefore, to speak of the things we previously investigated, and to begin to enumerate the proper parts of plants, their common parts, and their differences.
Λέγομεν τοίνυν ὡς ἐπὶ τοῖς μέρεσι τῶν φυτῶν ἐστὶ μεγάλη διαφορὰ ἐν τῷ πλήθει καὶ ἐν τῇ ὀλιγότητι, ἐν τῷ μεγέθει καὶ ἐν τῇ σμικρότητι, ἐν τῇ δυνάμει καὶ ἐν τῆ ἀσθενείᾳ.
We say, then, that with respect to the parts of plants, there is a great difference in abundance and paucity, in greatness and smallness, in strength and weakness.
§1.3.14Τοῦτο δέ ἐστιν ὅτι ὁ χυμὸς ὁ ἐν τοῖς μεγάλοις δένδροις ἐν τισὶ μέν ἐστιν ὡς γάλα, οἶον ἐπὶ τῆς συκῆς, ἐν τισὶν ὅμοιος ὑγρᾷ πίσσῃ, ὡς ὁ χυμὸς ὁ στάζων ἐκ τῆς ἀμπέλου, ἐν τισὶ δὲ ἀρχέγονος, ὡς ἐν τῷ ὁριγάνῳ καὶ ἐν φυτῷ τῷ λεγομένῳ ὀπιγαῒς καὶ ἐν ἄλλοις.
And this is that the juice in large trees is in some like milk, as in the case of the fig tree, in some like liquid pitch, as the juice dripping from the vine, and in some primordial, as in oregano and in the plant called opigais and in others.
§1.3.15Πάλιν ἔστι φυτὸν τὸ ἔχον μέρη ξηρά, ἕτερον ὑγρά, καὶ τά τοιαῦτα.
Again, there is a plant that has dry parts, another wet parts, and the like.
Καὶ ἔστι τὸ ἔχον μέρη διακεκριμένα, οὔτε ὅμοια οὔτε ἶσα.
And there is one that has distinct parts, neither similar nor equal.
Καὶ τινὰ ἔχει μέρη ὅμοια μέν, οὐκ ἶσα δέ· τινὰ ἶσα μέν, οὐχ ὅμοια δέ.
And some have parts that are similar indeed, but not equal; and some equal, but not similar.
§1.3.16Καὶ ὅτι οὐδέ ἐστι τόπος ἐν τούτοις ὡρισμένος.
And that there is no defined place in these.
Αἱ διαφοραὶ δὲ τῶν φυτῶν ἐν τοῖς οἰκείοις μέρεσι γινώσκονται καλῶς· ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ τὰ σχήματα αὐτῶν ἐκ τοῦ χρώματος, ἐκ τῆς ἀραιότητος, ἐκ τῆς πυκνότητος, ἐκ τῆς τραχύτητος, καὶ ἐκ πάντων ἄλλων τῶν συμβεβηκότων αὐτοῖς ἐν ἰσότητι, ἐν αὐξήσει φυσικῇ, ἐν διακρίσει, ἐν μεγέθει, ἐν σμικρότητι.
And the differences of plants are well known in their proper parts; likewise also their shapes from color, from rarity, from density, from roughness, and from all other accidents that happen to them in equality, in natural growth, in distinction, in greatness, and in smallness.
Καὶ εἰσὶ μὲν ταῦτα τοιούτου τρόπου, ἔχουσι δὲ καὶ διαφορὰς πολλάς, καθὼς καὶ προείπομεν.
And these indeed are of such a kind, and they have also many differences, as we have said before.

Notes

  1. §1.3.10ἂν μή τινι χρονικῇ ἀσθενείᾳ καὶ βαρείᾳ τῆς οἰκείας ἐκπέσῃ τοιᾶσδε διαθέσεως — The subjunctive verb ἐκπέσῃ is introduced by the conditional conjunction ἂν μή. The genitive phrase τῆς οἰκείας... τοιᾶσδε διαθέσεως functions as a genitive of separation/deprivation governed by the verb ἐκπίπτω. The dative noun ἀσθενείᾳ indicates cause or instrument, with both adjectives χρονικῇ and βαρείᾳ modifying it in coordination.
  2. §1.3.12Ἡμῖν δὲ αἰσχρόν ἐστι λέγειν πράγματά τινα μεθ’ ὧν αὐξάνεται τὸ ζῷον καὶ συμπληροῦται μετ’ αὐτῶν, μὴ εἶναι μέρη αὐτοῦ — The accusative-and-infinitive construction dependent on the infinitive λέγειν is [πράγματά τινα ... μὴ εἶναι μέρη αὐτοῦ] ("to say that certain things are not parts of it"). Inside the relative clause [μεθ' ὧν...], the prepositional phrase μετ' αὐτῶν is redundantly repeated, exhibiting a pleonastic style likely influenced by the syntax of the Semitic/Arabic source text.
  3. §1.3.12ἃ δὴ κρύπτουσιν ἑαυτὰ κατὰ τὸν χειμερινὸν καιρὸν ἐν ὀπαῖς καὶ ὑπὸ γῆν πίπτουσι — An irregularity in subject-verb agreement. The relative pronoun ἃ is neuter plural (referring either to the animals, ζῷα, or to their parts), but the verbs κρύπτουσιν and πίπτουσι are conjugated in the plural. This violates the classical rule of neuter plural subjects taking singular verbs, reflecting late or medieval Greek grammatical usage.
  4. ¦819a¦Αἱ διαφοραὶ δὲ τῶν φυτῶν ἐν τοῖς οἰκείοις μέρεσι γινώσκονται καλῶς — The irregular position of the postpositive particle δὲ. Standard classical Greek syntax requires δὲ to be placed immediately after the article (Αἱ δὲ διαφοραὶ). Here, it is positioned after the entire noun phrase (Αἱ διαφοραὶ δὲ), suggesting a shift in medieval Greek grammar or an unnatural word order induced by literal translation from Arabic.

Cite this passage

Aristotle, On Plants §1.3.10-1.3.16. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0086.tlg039.humanitext-grc1:1.3.10-1.3.16

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