§2.9.1Τὸ δὲ τὰ τῶν δένδρων φύλλα πίπτειν ἐστὶ διὰ τὴν ἐπιφορὰν τῆς ὀξείας ἀραιότητος.
And the falling of the leaves of trees is due to the onset of sharp looseness of texture.
Ὅταν γὰρ πεφθῇ ἡ ὑγρότης μετὰ τῆς ὕλης, πυραμιδοῦται, καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα κατισχναίνουσι.
For when the moisture is concocted along with the matter, it becomes pyramidal, and after these things they become thin.
Καὶ ὅταν φανῇ ἡ ὕλη τῇ πέψει πεπληρωμένῃ, τότε τελείως βύονται τὰ ἄκρα τῶν πόρων ἄνω.
And when the matter appears to be filled by the concoction, then the upper ends of the pores are completely blocked.
Καὶ διὰ ταῦτα ἐπεὶ τὰ φύλλα οὐκ ἔχουσιν ὕλην, ξηραίνονται καὶ πίπτουσιν.
And because of these things, since the leaves do not have matter, they dry up and fall.
§2.9.2Ἐὰν δὲ συμβῇ τὸ ἐναντίον ὦν εἴπομεν, οὐ πίπτει τὸ φυτὸν εἰς στέρησιν τῶν ἰδίων φύλλων.
But if the opposite of what we said happens, the plant does not fall into the deprivation of its own leaves.
Ὅταν δὲ πάλιν κινήσῃ τὸ φυτὸν ψυχρότης, θερμαίνει αὐτὸ ἡ ἐγκλειομένη τούτῳ θερμότης, καὶ ἡ φανέρωσις τῆς ψυχρότητος γίνεται ἐκτὸς ἐν τοῖς ἄκροις αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἀποτελοῦνται ἐντεῦθεν τὰ φύλλα γλαυκά, καὶ οὐδὲ πίπτουσιν, ὡς οὐδὲ ἐπὶ τῶν ἐλαιῶν καὶ τῶν μυρσινῶν καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν.
And when coldness moves the plant again, the heat enclosed within it warms it, and the appearance of the coldness occurs outside in its extremities, and from this the leaves are rendered bluish-grey, and they do not even fall, just as they do not in the case of olives and myrtles and the rest.
§2.9.3Ὁπόταν δὲ ἔχωσι τὰ δένδρα καὶ τὰ φυτὰ δύναμιν τοῦ ἕλκειν σφοδρῶς, γίνεται καρποφορία ὁμοῦ· ἥτις συμβαίνει, ὅτι χρῆται ἡ φύσις πέψει κατὰ διαδοχὴν συχνῇ, καὶ ἐν ἑκάστῃ πέψει καρπὸν προάγει πολύν, Καὶ διὰ τοῦτο τινὰ φυτὰ καὶ πολλάκις ἐν τῷ χρόνῳ καρποφοροῦσι.
And whenever trees and plants have the power of drawing strongly, fruit-bearing occurs at the same time; which happens because nature uses frequent concoction in succession, and in each concoction produces much fruit, and for this reason some plants bear fruit even many times in a year.
§2.9.4Τὸ δὲ φυτὸν ὅπερ ἐστὶν ὡς ἡ φύσις τοῦ ὕδατος, μόλις καρποφορεῖ διὰ τὴν ἐπικράτειαν τῆς ὑγρότητος αὐτοῦ καὶ τὸν πλατυσμὸν τῶν ἰδίων πόρων καὶ τὴν ἀπορροὴν τῶν ἰδίων ῥιζῶν.
But the plant which is like the nature of water, barely bears fruit because of the prevalence of its moisture and the widening of its own pores and the flowing away of its own roots.
Ὅτε δὲ ἰσχυροποιηθῇ τὸ θερμόν, ταχύνει τε ἡ τούτου πέψις, καὶ λεπτύνεται ἡ ὑγρότης καὶ οὐ συμπήγνυται· οὐδ’ οὕτως πάλνιν γίνεσθαι καρποφορίαν συμβαίνει.
But when the heat becomes strong, its concoction hastens, and the moisture is thinned and does not solidify; yet even so, it does not happen that fruit-bearing occurs.
§2.9.5Καὶ τοῦτο εὑρίσκεται ἐν πάσαις ταῖς βοτάναις ταῖς λεπταῖς, ἀλλὰ δὴ καὶ ἔν τισι λαχάνοις.
And this is found in all thin herbs, and indeed also in some vegetables.
Φαίοτης δὲ γίνεται ἐν τόποις σφόδρα θερμοῖς, καὶ ἔστιν ἐν τούτοις ὀλίγος καρπὸς ἐκ τῆς ὑγρότητος, διότι εἰσὶ στενοὶ οἱ πόροι.
And grayness occurs in very hot places, and there is in these little fruit from the moisture, because the pores are narrow.
Ὅταν γοῦν θελήσῃ ἡ φύσις πέψιν ποιῆσαι, μὴ ἔχουσα ὑγρότητα ἀρκοῦσαν τῇ ὕλῃ, τότε γίνονται οἱ πόροι στενώτεροι.
At any rate, when nature wishes to produce concoction, not having sufficient moisture for the matter, then the pores become narrower.
§2.9.6Ἐπαναστρέφει γοῦν ἡ πέψις, καὶ συνεχῆ ταύτην ποιεῖ ἡ θερμότης, καὶ φαίνεται τότε τὸ μέσον λευκοῦ καὶ μέλανος ἐν χρώματι.
At any rate, the concoction returns, and the heat makes it continuous, and there appears then the intermediate of white and black in color.
Καὶ ὅτε τοῦτο τοιουτοτρόπως γένηται, τότε τὸ ξύλον φθάνει γίνεσθαι μέλαν, καὶ πᾶν τὸ πλησιάζον τῷ φαιῷ· καὶ τοῦτο ἔστιν ἰδεῖν ἀπὸ τοῦ ἐβένου καὶ τῆς πτελέας.
And when this happens in such a manner, then the wood becomes black, and everything that approaches gray; and this can be seen from ebony and elm.
§2.9.7Ὁ δὲ ἔβενος καταδύεται ἐν τῷ ὕδατι, ὅτι τὰ μέρη αὐτοῦ εἰσὶ συμπεπηγότα καὶ οἱ πόροι στενοί, καὶ ἀὴρ οὐκ εἰσέρχεται ἐν αὐτοῖς.
And ebony sinks in water because its parts are solidified and the pores are narrow, and air does not enter into them.
Ὃ δὲ ἐκ τῶν ξύλων τῶν λευκῶν βυθίζεται, ἔστι διὰ τὴν στενότητα τῶν πόρων καὶ τὴν περιττότητα τῆς ὑγρότητος τῆς βυούσης τοὺς πόρους, ὥστε μὴ ἐξέρχεσθαι ἀπ’ αὐτῶν ἀέρα.
But that which of white woods sinks, is because of the narrowness of the pores and the excess of moisture blocking the pores, so that air does not come out from them.
§2.9.8Τὸ δὲ ἄνθος ἐκ λεπτῆς μόνον ὕλης ἐστίν, ὅταν ἄρξηται ἡ πέψις· καὶ διὰ τοῦτο προηγεῖται τοῦ φυτοῦ, ὡς ἐδείξαμεν.
And the flower is from thin matter only, when concoction begins; and for this reason it precedes the plant, as we have shown.
Ἐντεῦθεν γοῦν δεικνύομεν καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν δι’ ἣν τὰ φυτὰ ἐκφέρουσι φύλλα πρότερον, εἶτα καρπούς.
From this, at any rate, we also show the cause for which plants produce leaves first, and then fruits.
Ὃ ἐν τῷ φυτῷ τῷ ἔχοντι στενοὺς πόρους γίνεται χρῶμα, ἔσται ἐν χρώματι σαπφειρίνηῳ, καὶ διότι συμπιέζονται αὐτοῦ τὰ μέρη, εἰς λευκότητα κλίνει.
The color that arises in a plant having narrow pores will be of a sapphire color, and because its parts are compressed, it inclines toward whiteness.