Enquiry into Plants/Volume 1/Chapter 65

by Theophrastus

Of differences in the texture of different woods.

III. ^[1]Corresponding to the individual characters of the several trees we have the following kinds of differences in the wood:—it differs in closeness, heaviness, hardness or their opposites, and in other similar ways; and these differences are common to cultivated and wild trees. So that we may speak of all trees without distinction.

Box and ebony seem to have the closest and heaviest wood; for their wood does not even float on water. This applies to the box-tree as a whole, and to the core of the ebony, which contains the black pigment.^[2] The nettle-tree also is very close and heavy, and so is the core of the oak, which is called 'heart of oak,' and to a still greater degree this is true of the core of laburnum^[3]; for this seems to resemble the ebony.

The wood of the terebinth is also very black and close-grained; at least in Syria^[4] they say that it is blacker than ebony, that in fact they use it for making their dagger handles; and by means of the lathe-chisel they also make of it 'Theriklean' cups,^[5] so that no one could^[6] distinguish these from cups made of pottery; for this purpose they use, it is said, the heart-wood, but the wood has to be oiled, for then it becomes comelier and blacker.

There is also, they say, another tree^[7] which, as well as the black colour, has a sort of reddish variegation, so that it looks like variegated ebony, and of it are made beds and couches and other things of superior quality. This tree is very large and has handsome leaves and is like the pear.

These trees then, as well as the black colour, have close wood; so also have maple zygia and in general all those that are of compact growth; so also have the olive and the wild olive, but their wood is brittle.^[8] Of wild trees which are used for roof-timbers the wood of the silver-fir is the least compact, and among others that of the elder fig apple and bay. The hardest woods are those of the oak zygia and aria (holm-oak); in fact men wet^[9] these to soften them for boring holes. In general, woods which are of open porous texture are soft, and of those of fleshy texture the softest is the lime. The last-named seems also to be the hottest; the proof of which is that it blunts iron tools more than any other; for they lose their edge^[10] by reason of its heat.

Ivy and bay are also hot woods, and so in general are those used for making fire-sticks; and Menestor^[11] adds the wood of the mulberry. ^[12]The coldest woods are those which grow in water and are of succulent character. The wood again of willow and vine is tough; wherefore men make their shields of these woods; for they close up again after a blow; but that of the willow is lighter, since it is of less compact texture; wherefore they use this for choice. The wood of the plane is fairly tough, but it is moister in character, as also is that of the elm. A proof of this is that, if it is set upright^[13] after being cut, it discharges much water.^[14] The wood of the mulberry is at once of close grain and tough.

^[15]The wood of the elm is the least likely to warp; wherefore they make the 'hinges'^[16] of doors out of elm wood; for, if these hold, the doors also keep in place; otherwise they get wrenched out of place. They make the 'hinges' by putting wood from the root above^[17] and wood 'from the foliage' below,^[17] thus reversing the natural position: (by wood 'from the foliage' joiners mean the upper wood). For, when these are fitted the one into the other, each counteracts^[18] the other, as they naturally tend in opposite directions: whereas, if the wood were set^[19] as it grows,^[20] all the parts^[21] would give where the strain came.^[22]

(They do not finish off the doors at once; but, when they have put them together, stand them up, and then finish them off the next year, or sometimes the next year but one,^[23] if they are doing specially good work. For in summer, as the wood dries, the work comes apart, but it closes in winter. The reason is that the open fleshy texture of the wood of the silver-fir^[24] drinks in the air, which is full of moisture.)

^[25]Palm-wood is light easily worked and soft like cork-oak, but is superior to that wood, as it is tough, while the other is brittle. Wherefore men now make their images of palm-wood and have given up the wood of cork-oak. However the fibres do not run throughout the wood, nor do they run to a good length, nor are they all set symmetrically, but run in every direction. The wood dries while it is being planed and sawn.

^[26]Thyon (thyine wood), which some call thya, grows near the temple of Zeus Ammon and in the district of Cyrene. In appearance the tree is like the cypress alike in its branches, its leaves, its stem, and its fruit; or rather it is like a wild cypress.^[27] There is abundance of it where now the city stands, and men can still recall that some of the roofs in ancient times were made of it. For the wood is absolutely proof against decay, and the root is of very compact texture, and they make of it the most valuable articles. Images are carved from these woods, prickly cedar cypress nettle-tree box, and the small ones also from the roots of the olive, which are unbreakable and of a more or less uniformly fleshy character. The above facts illustrate certain special features of position, natural character and use.

1. Plin. 16. 204–207.
2. cf. Arist. Meteor. 4. 7 ad fin.
3. cf. 1. 6. 1.
4. cf. 3. 15. 3.
5. Probably so called from their resemblance in shape and colour to the cups made by Therikles, a famous Corinthian potter; see reff. to comedy in LS. s.v.
6. μηδένα ἂν conj. W.; μηδ᾿ ἂν ἕνα Ald.
7. Sissoo wood. See Index App. (21).
8. ἀλλὰ κραῦρα conj. Sch.; ἀλλὰ καὶ αὔρα MV Ald.
9. ὑποβρέχουσι conj. Harduin from Plin. 16. 207; ἀποβρίθουσι Ald. H.; ἀποβρέχουσι m Bas.
10. cf. 5. 5. 1, which, referring to this passage, hardly agrees with it as now read.
11. cf. 1. 2. 3 n.
12. Plin. 16. 209.
13. ὀρθὸν ὅταν conj. W.; so G; ὀρθὸς ὅταν MV; ὅταν ὀρθὰ Ald.
14. cf. 5. 1. 6.
15. Plin. 16. 210.
16. Sc. an arrangement of cylindrical pivot and socket.
17. i.e. as socket and pivot respectively; cf. 5. 5. 4.
18. κωλύει: Sch. adds θάτερον from G.
19. ἔκειτο conj. W.; ἐκεῖνο Ald.
20. i.e. the 'upper' wood in the upper position.
21. πάντων MSS. (?); πάντως conj. W.
22. i.e. there would be no resistance. ἦν after ἂν add. Sch.
23. cf. Plin. 16. 215.
24. Of which the door itself is made.
25. Plin. 16. 211.
26. Plin. 13. 10–102.
27. κυπάριττος ἀγρία conj. Sch.; κυπάρισσον ἀγρίαν M Ald.

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