Bupleuron

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Bupleuron Plinius in numero herbarum sponte nascentium hanc greci habent caule cubitali foliis multis longisque capite aneti, laudatum in cibis ab Ypocrate in medicina Glaucone et Nichandro, sonat in greco bovis costa.


Apparatus:

Bupleuron ABCDQR efgkmnost | Buplenton j | Bublenton p

Plinius ABCDQ efgjknopst | Plini. R | Pli. m

in numero ABCDQR egmos | ignota f | illegible jp | inuere k | in nota nt

herbarum ABCDQR fgjkmnopst | h'barum e | olerum Pliny

nascentium codd. | nascenaum s

caule cubitali ACDQR efgjkmnopt | cubitali caule B | capite caule cubitali s

longisque ABCDQR efgjkmnopst | longis p

y. ACDR p | ypo. B fmost | ypocrate egjkn | hy. Q | Hippocrate Pliny

glaucone ACDQR k | glancone B | a glaucone fgjopt | ad glauconem mns

nichãdro AD | nichandro CQR gt | ĩ chãdro ul' nigredo et cet. B | nicandro eo | nichardo f | ichandro et cet. jk | nichrando m | nichaned n | nichantoro et cetera p | bichandro s | Nicandro Pliny

costa ABCDQR egjkmnpst | cesta f | casta o

Entry is missing in z


Translation:

Pliny: Bupleuron is thought by the Greeks to be among the number of herbs {Pliny: garden herbs or vegetables} which grow spontaneously. It has a stem of one cubit {in height}, with many and long leaves, and a flower head {like that} of anetum {"dill"}. It is praised for use in meals by Hippocrates and as a medicine by Glaucon and Nicander. It means in Greek "ox rib".


Commentary:

βούπλευρος /boúpleuros/ is a compound of βου- /bou-/ "ox" + πλευρόν /pleurón/ "rib; side, flank". The motivation for giving the plant this name is acc. to Genaust p. 111 that the leaves have parallel veins reminiscent of ribs.

Simon's excerpt is from Pliny, 35, 77, ed. Rackham (1938-63: VI.346).

In the text Pliny refers to Nicander's Theriaka, 585-6, ed. Schneider (1856), where the σπέρματα βουπλεύρου /spérmata boupleúrou/ "the seeds of bupleuron" are mentioned amongst a number of useful herbs that promise healing and relief.


Botanical identification:

The botanical identification of this plant is uncertain.

The word has survived into botanical Latin in the genus name Bupleurum, which implies in no way any similarity with a plant or plants of antiquity of that name.


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