Enquiry into Plants

Apart from this reason, in a few places (as 3.8.2; 3.10.3.) it seemed necessary to give both the Greek and the English name in order to bring out some particular point. On the other hand one Greek name often covers several plants, e.g. for example lotos; in such cases I hope that a reference to the Index will make all clear. Inverted commas indicate that the rendering is a literal translation of the Greek word; the identification of the plant will be found in the Index. Thus phellodrys cork-oak is rendered 'cork-oak,' though 'holm-oak' would be the correct rendering,—cork-oak (quercus Suber) being what Theophrastus calls phellos, which is accordingly rendered cork-oak without commas. As to the spelling of proper names, consistency without pedantry seems unattainable. One cannot write names such as Arcadia or Alexander otherwise than as they are commonly written; but I cannot bring myself to Latinise a Greek name if it can be helped, wherefore I have simply transliterated the less familiar names; the line drawn must of course be arbitrary.

The text printed is in the main that of Wimmer’s second edition (see Introd. p. xiv). The textual notes are not intended as a complete apparatus criticus critical apparatus/notes on manuscript variants; to provide a satisfactory apparatus it would probably be necessary to collate the manuscripts afresh. I have had to be content with giving Wimmer's statements as to MS. manuscript authority; this I have done wherever any question of interpretation depended on the reading; but I have not thought it necessary to record mere