''On Plants'' ( el, Περὶ φυτῶν; la, De plantis) is a botanical treatise included in the
Corpus Aristotelicum
The Corpus Aristotelicum is the collection of Aristotle's works that have survived from antiquity through medieval manuscript transmission. These texts, as opposed to Aristotle's works that were lost or intentionally destroyed, are technical ph ...
but usually regarded as
Pseudo-Aristotle Pseudo-Aristotle is a general cognomen for authors of philosophical or medical treatises who attributed their work to the Greek philosopher Aristotle, or whose work was later attributed to him by others. Such falsely attributed works are known as ps ...
. In 1923, a manuscript containing the original Arabic translation from Greek, as done by
Ishaq ibn Hunayn
Abū Yaʿqūb Isḥāq ibn Ḥunayn ( ar, إسحاق بن حنين) (c. 830 Baghdad, – c. 910-1) was an influential Arab physician and translator, known for writing the first biography of physicians in the Arabic language. He is also known for ...
, was discovered in
Istanbul
Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...
, which led scholars to conclude the work was likely an exegesis/commentary by philosopher
Nicolaus of Damascus
Nicolaus of Damascus (Greek language, Greek: , ''Nikolāos Damaskēnos''; Latin: ''Nicolaus Damascenus'') was a Greek historian and philosopher who lived during the Augustus, Augustan age of the Roman Empire. His name is derived from that of his b ...
(d. 4 AD) on a treatise by Aristotle which is now lost. ''On Plants'' describes the nature and origins of plants.
Content
The work is divided into two parts.
Part 1
The first part discusses the nature of plant life, sex in plants, the parts of plants, the structure of plants, the classification of plants, the composition and products of plants, the methods of propagation and fertilization of plants, and the changes and variations of plants.
Part 2
The second part describes the origins of plant life, the material of plants, the effects of external conditions and climate on plants, water plants, rock plants, effects of locality on plants, parasitism, the production of fruits and leaves, the colors and shapes of plants, and fruits and their flavors.
Translations
"
Alfred the Englishman translated the Arabic version into Latin in the reign of
Henry III. It was retranslated from this version into Greek at the Renaissance by a Greek resident in Italy."
See also
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''Historia plantarum'' (Theophrastus)
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Andrea Cesalpino
Andrea Cesalpino ( Latinized as Andreas Cæsalpinus) (6 June 1524 – 23 February 1603) was a Florentine physician, philosopher and botanist.
In his works he Taxonomy (biology), classified plants according to their fruits and seeds, rather th ...
(wrote ''De Plantis Libri XVI'' in 1583)
References
External links
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1st-century BC books
Botany books
Pseudoaristotelian works
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