Enquiry into Plants/Volume 1/Chapter 64

by Theophrastus

Of knots and 'coiling' in timber.

The strongest wood is that which is without knots and smooth, and it is also the fairest in appearance.^[1] Wood becomes knotty when it has been ill nourished and has suffered severely whether from winter or some such cause; for in general a knotty habit is supposed to indicate lack of nourishment. When however, after being ill nourished, the tree recovers and becomes vigorous, the result is that the knots are absorbed^[2] by the growth which now covers them; for the tree, being now well fed and growing vigorously, recovers, and often the wood is smooth outside, though when split it is seen to have knots. And this is why they examine the core of wood that has been split; for, if this contains knots, the outward^[3] parts will also be knotty, and these knots are harder to deal with than the outer ones, and are easily recognised.

^[4]'Coiling' of the wood is also due to winter or ill nourishment. Wood is said to 'coil' when there is in it closer twisting^[5] than usual, made up of an unusual number of rings: this is not quite like a knot, nor is it like the ordinary curling of the wood, which runs right through it and is uniform. 'Coiling' is much more troublesome and difficult to deal with than knots; it seems to correspond to the so-called 'centres' which occur in marbles. That^[6] vigorous growth covers^[7] up the knots is plain from simple observation of the fact and also from other similar instances. ^[8]For often some part of the tree itself is absorbed by the rest of the tree which has grown into it; and again, if one makes a hole in a tree and puts^[9] a stone into it or some other such thing, it becomes buried, being completely enveloped by the wood which grows all round it: this happened with the wild olive in the market-place at Megara; there was an oracle that, if this were cut open, the city would be taken and plundered, which came to pass when Demetrius took it.^[10] For, when this tree was split open, there were found greaves and certain other things^[11] of Attic workmanship hanging there, the hole^[12] in the tree having been made at the place where the things were originally hung on it as offerings. Of this tree a small part still exists, and in many other places further instances have occurred. Moreover, as has been said, such occurrences happen also with various other trees.

1. ταῦτα κάλλιστα· ὀζώδη δὲ conj. Scal.; ταῦτα καὶ μάλιστα ὀζώδη γίν. Ald. H.; ταῦτα μάλιστα· ὀζώδη δὲ γίν. U.
2. καταπίνεσθαι: ? καταλαμβάνεσθαι. cf. below, § 3.
3. i.e. outward in regard to the core.
4. Plin. 16. 198.
5. ᾖ συστροφή conj. Scal.; ᾗ εὐστροφή U; ᾗ εὐτραφῆ Ald. etc.
6. ὄτι δ᾿ ἡ conj. W.; ὅτι δὴ UMV; ὅτι δὲ Ald.
7. cf. καταπίνεσθαι, above, § 2.
8. Plin. 16. 198 and 199.
9. ἐκγλύψας θῇ conj. W.; ἐκλύψας θῆι U; ἐκλιθασθῇ Ald. H.
10. Text defective.
11. i.e. the bark had grown over these. cf. Plin. l.c.
12. ἐργασίας κρεμαστὰ τοῦ κοτίνου οὗ I conj. from G and Plin. l.c. (certain restoration perhaps impossible); κερμηστι ὅ ἐστιν ἐν κοτίνῳ· οὗ U; Ald. has κερμηστὶ, M κρεμαστὶ, V κερμάστων; St. suggested κρεμαστῶν ὅπλων as words of the original text.

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