Enquiry into Plants/Volume 1/Chapter 20

by Theophrastus

BOOK II

Of Propagation, especially of Trees.

Of the ways in which trees and plants originate. Instances of degeneration from seed.

I. The ways in which trees and plants in general originate are these:—spontaneous growth, growth from seed, from a root, from a piece torn off, from a branch or twig, from the trunk itself; or again from small pieces into which the wood is cut up (for some trees can be produced^[1] even in this manner). Of these methods spontaneous growth comes first, one may say, but growth from seed or root would seem most natural; indeed these methods too may be called spontaneous; wherefore they are found even in wild kinds, while the remaining methods depend on human skill or at least on human choice.

However all plants start in one or other of these ways, and most of them in more than one. Thus the olive is grown in all the ways mentioned, except from a twig for an olive-twig will not grow if it is set in the ground, as a fig or pomegranate will grow from their young shoots. Not but what some say that cases have been known in which, when a stake of olive-wood was planted to support ivy, it actually lived along with it and became a tree; but such an instance is a rare exception, while the other methods of growth are in most cases the natural ones. The fig grows in all the ways mentioned, except from root-stock and cleft wood; apple and pear grow also from branches, but rarely. However it appears that most, if not practically all,^[2] trees may grow from branches, if these are smooth young and vigorous.^[3] But the other methods, one may say, are more natural, and we must reckon what may occasionally occur as a mere possibility.

In fact there are quite few plants which grow and are brought into being more easily from the upper parts, as the vine is grown from branches; for this, though it cannot^[4] be grown from the 'head,'^[5] yet can be grown from the branch, as can all similar trees and under-shrubs, for instance, as it appears, rue gilliflower bergamot-mint tufted thyme cala-mint. So the commonest ways of growth with all plants are from a piece torn off or from seed; for all plants that have seeds grow also from seed. And they say that the bay too grows^[6] from a piece torn off, if one takes off the young shoots and plants them but it is necessary that the piece torn off should have part of the root or stock^[7] attached to it. However the pomegranate and 'spring apple'^[8] will grow even without this, and a slip of almond^[9] grows if it is planted. The olive grows, one may say, in more ways than any other plant; it grows from a piece of the trunk or of the stock,^[10] from the root, from a twig, and from a stake, as has been said.^[11] Of other plants the myrtle also can be propagated in several ways; for this too grows from pieces of wood and also from pieces of the stock. It is necessary however with this, as with the olive, to cut up the wood into pieces not less than a span long and not to strip off the bark.

Trees then grow and come into being in the above-mentioned ways; for as to methods of grafting^[12] and inoculation, these are, as it were, combinations of different kinds of trees; or at all events these are methods of growth of a quite different class and must be treated of at a later stage.

II. Of under-shrubs and herbaceous plants the greater part grow from seed or a root, and some in both ways; some of them also grow from cuttings, as has been said,^[13] while roses and lilies grow from pieces of the stems, as also does dog's-tooth grass. Lilies and roses also grow when the whole stem is set. Most peculiar is the method of growth from an exudation^[14]; for it appears that the lily grows in this way too, when the exudation that has been produced has dried up. They say the same of^[15] alexanders, for this too produces an exudation. There is a certain^[16] reed also which grows if one cuts it in lengths from joint to joint and sets them^[17] sideways, burying it in dung and soil. Again they say that plants which have a bulbous root are peculiar in their way of growing^[18] from the root.

The capacity for growth being shewn in so many ways, most trees, as was said before,^[19] originate in several ways; but some come^[20] only from seed, as silver-fir fir Aleppo pine, and in general all those that bear cones: also the date-palm, except that in Babylon it may be that, as some say, they take cuttings^[21] from it. The cypress in most regions grows from seed, but in Crete^[22] from the trunk also, for instance in^[23] the hill country about Tarra; for there grows the cypress which they clip, and when cut it shoots in every possible way, from the part which has been cut, from the ground, from the middle, and from the upper parts and occasionally, but rarely, it shoots from the roots also.

About the oak accounts differ; some say it only grows from seed, some from the root also, but not vigorously, others again that it grows from the trunk itself, when this is cut. But no tree grows from a piece torn off or from a root except those which make side-growths.

However in all the trees which have several methods of originating the quickest method and that which promotes the most vigorous growth is from a piece torn off, or still better from a sucker, if this is taken from the root. And, while all the trees which are propagated thus or by some kind of slip^[24] seem to be alike in their fruits to the original tree, those raised from the fruit, where this method of growing is also possible, are nearly all inferior, while some quite lose the character of their kind, as vine apple fig pomegranate pear. As for the fig,^[25] no cultivated kind is raised from its seed, but either the ordinary wild fig or some wild kind is the result, and this often differs in colour from the parent; a black fig gives a white, and conversely. Again the seed of an excellent vine produces a degenerate result, which is often of quite a different kind and at times this is not a cultivated kind at all, but a wild one of such a character that it does not ripen its fruit; with others again the result is that the seedlings do not even mature fruit, but only get as far as flowering.

Again the stones of the olive give^[26] a wild olive, and the seeds of a sweet pomegranate^[27] give a degenerate kind, while the stoneless kind gives a hard sort and often an acid fruit. So also is it with seedlings of pears and apples; pears give a poor sort of wild pears, apples produce an inferior kind which is acid instead of sweet; quince produces wild quince.^[28] Almond again raised from seed is inferior in taste and in being hard instead of soft; and this is why men^[29] bid us graft on to the almond, even when it is fully grown, or, failing that, frequently plant the offsets.

The oak also deteriorates from seed; at least many persons having raised trees from acorns of the oak at Pyrrha^[30] could not produce one like the parent tree. On the other hand they say that bay and myrtle sometimes improve by seeding, though usually they degenerate and do not even keep their colour, but red fruit gives black—as happened with the tree in Antandros; and frequently seed of a 'female' cypress produces a 'male' tree. The date-palm seems to be about the most constant of these trees, when raised from seed, and also the 'cone-bearing pine'^[31] (stone-pine) and the 'lice-bearing pine.'^[32] So much for degeneration in cultivated trees; among wild kinds it is plain that more in proportion degenerate from seed, since the parent trees are stronger. For the contrary^[33] would be very strange, seeing that degenerate forms are found even in cultivated trees,^[34] and among these only in those which are raised from seed. (As a general rule these are degenerate, though men may in some cases effect a change^[35] by cultivation).

 

1. ἔνια φύεται cong. Sch.; ἀναφύεται Ald.
2. τά γε πολλὰ πάνθ᾽ conj. Sch.; ἢ before πάνθ᾽ ins. St.; τά τε πολλὰ πάνθ᾽ Ald.
3. εὐαυξεῐς conj. H; αὐξεῐς UMV Ald.
4. οὐκ I conj.; οὐδ᾽ MSS.
5. πρώρας, cf. Col 3. 10. 1, caput vitis vocat πρώραν. Sch. restores the word, C.P. 3. 14. 7.
6. cf. C.P. 1. 3. 2.
7. i.e. a 'heel' (Lat. perna).
8. cf. C.P. 2. 11. 6; Athen. 3. 23.
9. cf. Geop. 10. 3. 9.
10. καὶ ἀπὸ τοῠ ξύλου om. Julius Pontedeva on Varro 1. 39. 4: a gloss on ἀπὸ τοῠ πρέμνου κατακ.
11. 2. 1. 2.
12. ἐμφυτεῖαι conj. R. Const; ἐμφυλέαι (with erasures) U; ἐμφυλείαι V; ἐμφυλεῖαι Ald.
13. 2. 1. 3; cf. C.P. 1. 4. 4. and 6.
14. i.e. bulbil. cf. 6. 6. 8; 9. 1. 4; C.P. 1. 4. 6; Plin. 21. 24.
15. ἐπὶ conj. W.; ἀπὸ P₂Ald.
16. δέ τις καὶ Ald,; τις om. W. after Sch.
17. cf. 1. 4. 4; Plin. 17. 145 ; Col. 4. 32. 2; τιθῇ conj. Sch.; ἢ Ald.; ? θῇ.
18. i.e. by offset bulbs. Text probably defective; cf. C.P. 1. 4. 1. τῷ U; τὸ UMV.
19. 2. 1. 1.
20. φύεται I conj.; φησίν ἐστιν or φασίν ἐστιν ΜSS.; ὡς φασίν ἐστιν Αld.; παραγίνεται conj. W.
21. μολεύειν conj. Sch.; μωλύειν MSS.; μοσχεύειν conj. R. Const. (cf. C.P. 1. 2 1). But cf. Heysch. s.v. μολεύειν.
22. Plin. 16. 141
23. ἐπὶ conj. W.; τὸ UMV Ald.
24. φυτευτήριον: a general term including παραφυάς and παρασπάς
25. cf. C.P. 1. 9.
26. φύονται conj. W.; φυτεύονται Ald. H.; φύεται Vo.cod.Cas.
27. γλυκέων conj. St.; γλαυκἰων UMV Ald.
28. cf. Athen. 3. 20 and 25
29. cf. C.P. 1. 9. 1.
30. In Lesbos; cf. 3. 9. 5.
31. cf. C.P. 1. 9. 2.
32. Plin. 16. 49. The 'lice' are the seeds which were eaten. cf. Hdt. 4. 109, φθειροτραγέουσι; Theocr. 5. 49.
33. i.e that they should improve from seed.
34. Whereas wild trees are produced only from seed.
35. i.e. improve a degenerate seedling.

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