Enquiry into Plants/Volume 1/Chapter 33

by Theophrastus

Of the seasons of budding.

V. ^[1]Now most trees, when they have once begun to bud, make their budding and their growth continuously, but with fir silver-fir and oak there are intervals. They make three fresh starts in growth and produce three separate sets of buds; wherefore also they lose their bark thrice^[2] a year. For every tree loses its bark when it is budding. This first happens in mid-spring^[3] at the very beginning of the month Thargelion,^[4] on Mount Ida within about fifteen days of that time; later, after an interval of about thirty days or rather more, the tree^[5] puts on fresh buds which start from the head of the knobby growth^[6] which formed at the first budding-time; and it makes its budding partly on the top of this,^[7] partly all round it laterally,^[8] using the knob formed at the first budding as a sort of joint, just as in the case of the first budding. This happens about the end of the month Skirrophorion.^[9]

^[10](It is only at the time of this second budding that the galls also are produced, both the white and the black the liquid forming them is mostly produced in quantity at night, and, after swelling for one day—except the part which is of resinous character—it hardens if it is caught by the heat, and so cannot grow any more otherwise it would have grown greater in bulk; wherefore in some trees the formation is not larger than a bean. The black gall is for several days of a pale green^[11] colour then it swells and sometimes attains the size of an apple.)

Then, after an interval^[12] of about fifteen days, the tree for the third time puts on buds in the month Hekatombaion^[13]; but this growth continues for fewer days than on either of the previous occasions, perhaps for six or seven at most. However the formation of the bus is as before and takes place in the same manner. After this period there is no increase in length, but the only increase is in thickness.

The periods of budding can be seen in all trees, but especially in fir and silver-fir, because the joints of these are in a regular series and have the knots at even distances. It is then the season also for cutting the timber, because the bark is being shed^[14]; for at other times the bark is not easy to strip off, and moreover, if it is stripped off, the wood turns black^[15] and is inferior in appearance for as to its utility^[16] this makes no difference, though the wood is stronger if it is cut after the ripening of the fruit.

Now what has been said is peculiar to the above-mentioned trees.^{[17] [18]}But the buddings which take place at the rising of the dog-star and at that of Arcturus after the spring budding are common to nearly all, though they may be most clearly seen in cultivated trees, and, among these, especially in fig vine pomegranate, and in general in all those that are luxuriant in growth or are growing in rich soil. Accordingly they say that the budding at the rising of Arcturus is most considerable in Thessaly and Macedonia^[19]; for it also happens that the autumn in these countries is a fair and a long season; so that the mildness of the climate also contributes. Indeed it is for this reason, one may say, that in Egypt too the trees are always budding, or at least that the process is only suspended for quite a short time.

Now the facts as to the later buddings apply, as has been said, to all trees alike; but those which belong to the intervals after the first period of budding are peculiar to those mentioned above. Peculiar to some also is the growth of what are called 'winter buds,'^[20] for instance in the above-mentioned trees; silver-fir fir and oak have them, and also lime hazel chestnut and Aleppo pine. These are found in the oak before the leaf-buds grow, when the spring season is just beginning. This growth consists of a sort of leaf-like formation,^[21] which occurs between the first swelling of the leaf-buds and the time when they burst into leaf. In the sorb^[22] it occurs in the autumn after the shedding of the leaves, and has from the first a glistening look,^[23] as though swelling had taken place, just as if it were about to burst into leaves and it persists through the winter till the spring. The filbert after casting its fruit produces^[24] its clustering growth,^[25] which is as large as a good-sized grub: several^[26] of these grow from one stalk, and some call them catkins. Each of these is made up of small processes arranged like scales, and resembles the cone of the fir, so that its appearance is not unlike that of a young green fir-cone, except that it is longer and almost of the same thickness throughout. This grows through the winter (when spring comes, the scale-like processes open and turn yellow) it grows to the length of three fingers, but, when in spring the leaves are shooting, it falls off, and the cup-like^[27] fruit-cases of the nut are formed, closed all down^[28] the stalk and corresponding^[29] in number to the flowers and in each of these is a single nut. The case of the lime and of any other tree that produces winter-buds needs further consideration.

 

1. Plin. 16. 100.
2. τρίσλοποι conj. Sch.; τρίσλοιποι UM₂V; τρίσλεποι M₁Ald. cf. 4.15.3; 5.1.1.
3. ἕαρος conj. R. Const.; ἀέρος VAld. cf. Plin. l.c.
4. About May.
5. What follows evidently applies only to the oak.
6. κορυνησέως conj. Sch.; κορύνης ἕως UMV; κορυφῆς ἕως Ald.
7. cf. 3.6.2.
8. τὰ add. Sch.
9. About June.
10. cf. 3. 7. 4; 3. 8. 6; Plin. 16. 27.
11. ἔγχλωρος conj. Coraës; εὔχλωρος Ald.
12. διαλείποντα conj. St.; διαλείπουσαι Ald.H.
13. About July.
14. λοπᾶν conj. Sch.; λοιπᾶν UMV; λιπᾶν Ald.
15. cf. Plin. 16. 74.
16. γε conj. Sch.; τε Ald.
17. δένδρων R. Const,; καρπῶν Ald. H.
18. cf. C.P. 1. 10. 6; 1. 12. 4; 1. 13. 3; 1. 13. 5; 1. 13. 10; Plin. 16. 96.
19. cf. C.P. 1. 14. 11.
20. cf. 5. 1. 4; Plin. 16. 30.
21. ἐστι … φυλλικὴ: ἐστι conj. R. Const.; ὡσπερεὶ conj. Sch.; ἔτι δὲ ὥσπερ ἡ κύησις φυλακὴ U Ald. H.; φυλλικὴ mBas etc.
22. τᾒ δ᾽ ὔῃ ἐστὶ conj. W. (cf. the description of ὔη, 3. 12. 8); τᾒ δ᾽ ἰδιότητι Ald.
23. εὐθὺς λιπαρὰ conj. Sch.; τις add. W.; εὐθὺς αἱ παρὰ τῆς U.
24. φύει conj. W.; φύεται Ald.
25. i.e. calkins.⁠cf. 3. 3. 8.
26. πλείω δὴ conj. Sc.; πιώδη UMVAld.; πλείονα U?.
27. cf. 3. 10. 4.
28. συμμεμυκότα κατὰ τοῦ.: G evidently had a different text; ? μσυμπεφυκότα W.
29. ὅσα καὶ ἦν τὰ ἄνθη conj. W.; ὅσα καὶ ἦν κατὰ ἄνθη Ald.

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