§2.6.1Καθολικῷ δὲ λόγῳ πᾶν φυτὸν τεττάρων τινῶν δεῖται, σπέρματος διωρισμένου, τόπου ἁρμοδίου ὕδατος συμμέτρου καὶ ἀέρος ὁμοίου.
Generally speaking, every plant requires four things: a specific seed, a suitable place, moderate water, and compatible air.
Ὄταν οὖν ταῦτα πάντα συντελεσθῶσι, γεννᾶται φυτὸν καὶ αὐξάνει· ὅτε δὲ ταῦτα ἀποχωρήσουσιν, ἀσθενεῖ τῇ ἀποχωρήσει καὶ τὸ φυτόν.
Therefore, when all these are combined, the plant is generated and grows; but when these depart, the plant also weakens due to their departure.
§2.6.2Πάλιν τὸ φυτὸν τὸ προϊὸν ἐν ὄρεσιν ὑψηλοῖς, εἰ ἔσται εἶδος, ἔσται προχειρότερον καὶ προσφυέστερον εἰς ἰατρείαν· ὁ καρπὸς δὲ ὁ σκληρότερος εἰς πέψιν οὐχ ὡς ἐπὶ τὸ πολὺ τρέφει.
Again, the plant growing on high mountains, if it is of a certain species, will be more readily available and more suitable for medicine; but the fruit that is harder to digest does not, for the most part, nourish.
Τόποι δὲ ἀπομεμακρυσμένοι τοῦ ἡλίου οὐκ εἰσὶ πολλῶν βοτανῶν γεννητικοί, §2.6.3Ὁμοίως ἐὰν ὁ ἥλιος μακρότητα τῇ ἡμέρᾳ προσάγῃ ἐν τῇ κινήσει αὐτοῦ καὶ κατακυριεύῃ τῆς ὑγρότητος, οὐκ ἔχει τὸ φυτὸν δυνάμεις φύλλα καὶ καρποὺς προάγειν.
And places far removed from the sun are not productive of many herbs, Likewise, if the sun in its movement brings length to the day and dominates the moisture, the plant does not have the power to produce leaves and fruits.
Τί δὲ καὶ περὶ τῶν φυτῶν χρὴ νοεῖν, ἃ γεννῶνται ἐν ὑδαρώδεσι τόποις;
But what must we think also of plants that are generated in watery places?
Ἐν τούτοις ὅτε τὸ ὕδωρ ἠρεμεῖ, γίνεταί τι καθάπερ ἰλύς, καὶ οὐκ ἔστι δύναμις ἐν τῷ ἀέρι ἵνα ὑποστήσῃ τὰ μέρη τοῦ ὕδατος.
In these, when the water is still, something like mud is formed, and there is no power in the air to support the parts of the water.
§2.6.4Κατέχεται γὰρ αὐτὸς ὁ ἀὴρ ἐν τοῖς ἐνδοτέροις τῆς γῆς, καὶ κωλύει τὴν παχύτητα τοῦ ὕδατος ἀναβαίνειν.
For the air itself is held down in the inner parts of the earth, and prevents the thickness of the water from ascending.
§2.6.5Εἰ γοῦν πλημμυρήσῃ ἄνεμος ἐν ἐκείνῳ τῷ τόπῳ καὶ συσφιγχθῇ ἡ γῆ, συμπιέσῃ τε ἑαυτὸν ὁ ἐμπεριειλημμένος ἀήρ, καὶ συμπήξῃ ὁ ἄνεμος τὴν ὑγρότητα, προελεύσεται ἐκ ταύτης τῆς ὑγρότητος φυτὰ οὐ πολὺ διαφέροντα ἀλλήλων ἐν εἴδει καὶ σχήματι, διὰ τὴν διαμονὴν καὶ τὴν παχύτητα τοῦ ὕδατος καὶ τὴν θερμότητα τοῦ ἡλίου ἄνωθεν.
If, at any rate, wind abounds in that place and the earth is compressed, and the enclosed air compresses itself, and the wind solidifies the moisture, there will come forth from this moisture plants not differing much from one another in species and shape, because of the permanence and thickness of the water, and the heat of the sun from above.
§2.6.6Πάλιν περὶ τῶν φυτῶν ἅ εἰσιν ἐν τόποις ὑγροῖς, καὶ ἡ ἐπιφάνεια αὐτῶν φαίνεται ἐν τῇ ὄψει τῆς γῆς χλοάζουσα, λέγω ὅτι ἐν ἐκείνῳ τῷ τόπῳ μικρά ἐστιν ἀραιότης.
Again, concerning the plants that are in moist places, and whose surface appears green on the face of the earth, I say that in that place there is little looseness of texture.
§2.6.7Ὄταν οὖν ἐμπεσὼν ὁ ἥλιος κινήσῃ τὴν ἐν ἐκείνῳ ὑγρότητα, καὶ θερμάνῃ τὸν τόπον τῇ συμβαινούσῃ κινήσει καὶ τῇ θερμότητι τῇ ἐμπεριειλημμένῃ τοῖς ἐνδοτέροις τῆς γῆς, ὅπερ δὴ οὐ συμβαίνει ἐν οἷς οὐκ ἔχει τὸ φυτὸν ὅθεν ἂν αὐξηθῇ, καὶ ἡ ὑγρότης τῇ ἰδίᾳ ἐκτάσει διαχυθῇ, γίνεται καπνὸς ὑπεράνω τῆς γῆς ὡς ὕφασμα χλοάζον, κἀντεῦθεν γεννᾶται φυτὸν μὴ ἔχον φύλλα, ὑπάρχον ἐκ τοῦ γένους τοῦ φυτοῦ τοῦ φαινομένου εἰς τὴν ἐπιφάνειαν τοῦ ὕδατος.
Therefore, when the sun, falling upon it, moves the moisture therein, and heats the place by the resulting movement and by the heat enclosed in the inner parts of the earth (which indeed does not happen in cases where the plant has nothing from which it might grow), and when the moisture is diffused by its own extension, there arises a smoke above the earth like a green web, and from this is generated a plant without leaves, belonging to the class of plant that appears on the surface of the water.
§2.6.8Ἔστι δὲ μεῖζον ἐκείνου, διότι πλησίον ἐστὶ τῆς γῆς, εἰ καὶ οὐκ ἀναβαίνειν καὶ ἐπεκτείνεσθαι δύναται.
But it is larger than that, because it is near the earth, even if it is not able to ascend and extend itself.
Πολλάκις δὲ καὶ ἐν φυτοῖς ἄλλο φυτὸν γεννᾶται οὐ τοῦ αὐτοῦ εἴδους καὶ τῆς αὐτῆς ὁμοιώσεως, ἄνευ ῥίζης.
And often, also in plants, another plant is generated, not of the same species and the same likeness, without a root.
§2.6.9Κινεῖται δὲ τοῦτο οὕτως· ὁπόταν φυτὸν πολλῶν ἀκανθῶν ἐν πίονι ὕδατι κινήσῃ ἑαυτό, ἀνοίγονται τὰ μέρη αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἀνιμᾶται ὁ ἥλιος τὰς ἐν αὐτῷ σήψεις, πέψιν τε ποιεῖ τούτῳ, καὶ τῇ ἰδίᾳ φύσει εἰς τὸν τόπον τὸν σεσημμένον βοήθειαν χορηγεῖ μετὰ θερμότητος εὐκράτου, κἀντεῦθεν αὐξάνει τὸ φυτόν, ὡς δοκεῖν νήματα ἐκτείνεσθαι εἰς ὅλον αὐτό.
And this process takes place as follows: whenever a plant with many thorns in rich water activates itself, its parts open, and the sun draws up the decay in it, and causes concoction for it, and by its own nature supplies assistance to the decayed place along with well-tempered heat, and from this the plant grows, so that threads seem to extend through the whole of it.
§2.6.10Καὶ τοῦτο ἴδιόν ἐστι τοῖς φυτοῖς τοῖς ἔχουσι πολλὰς ἀκάνθας.
And this is peculiar to plants that have many thorns.
Τότε γοῦν γεννᾶται βοτάνη ἡ λεγομένη λινόζωστις καὶ τὰ ταύτῃ ὅμοια.
At any rate, then is generated the herb called linozostis and those similar to it.
Πᾶσαι δὲ αἱ βοτάναι, καὶ εἴ τι αὐξάνει ἐπάνω τῆς γῆς καὶ ἐν τῇ γῇ, πρόεισιν ἔκ τινος τούτων τῶν πέντε, ἅ εἰσι σπέρμα, ὑγρότης ἐξ ὕδατος, τόπος ἐπιτήδειος, ἀὴρ καὶ φυτεία.
Now all herbs, and whatever grows above the earth and in the earth, come forth from some of these five: which are seed, moisture from water, a suitable place, air, and planting.
Καὶ ταῦτα τὰ πέντε εἰσίν, ὡς ἂν εἴποι τις, ῥίζαι φυτῶν.
And these five are, so to speak, the roots of plants.