Eliotropia

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Complete text of entry:

Eliotropia grece est dictum soli conversa ab elios quod est sol, et tropos conversio, hoc nomen multis plantis attributum est: eo quod plures flores suos ad solem semper vertant, quidam enim pentadactilum sic vocaverunt quidam cicoriam et alii alias, Dyascordies vero de eliotropio duo facit ca. de primo sic, eliotropium maius multi scorpioron dicunt: eo quod flores similes sint figure scorpii, eliotropion vero ideo nomen accepit quod cursum solis semper respiciat, folia habet ozomo similia sed asperiora et nigriora, hastas ex una radice sex aut quinque ramis quamplurimis in quibus flores sunt coloris albi et subpurpurei et subcurvi sicut cauda scorpii, radix eius inutilis et tenuis est, nascitur locis asperis et cetera. Eliotropium minus locis nascitur cultis et in pratis et est similis supradicte, semen vero rotundum habet pendens et cetera, liber antiquus de simplici medicina multi elyotropium verucariam dicunt: eo quod verucas extinguat et cetera, hec apud nos ydiomate nostro herba rabiosa et verucaria vocatur. Plinius eliotropium cum sole circum agens etiam nubilo die tantum sideris amore est noctu velut desiderio contrahit ceruleum florem, genera eius duo tricocum eliostropium hoc alterius quamquam utrunque semipedalem altitudinem non excedat ab una radice ramosum semen in foliculo messibus colligitur, nascitur vero non nisi in pingui solo cultoque maxime, tricocum ubique et cetera, et infra, illud genus quod tricocum appellamus et alio nomine scorpiuron vocatur foliis non solum minoribus sed etiam in terram virgentibus, semen est ei effigie scorpionis caude quare et nomen et cetera. Stephanus in synonimis ylyotropium post grecum scribit et exposuit per arabicum dheheneb elacrab et est dictum cauda scorpionis.


Complete translation of entry:

Eliotropia is Greek for Latin soli conversa {"turned towards the sun"}, from Greek elios for Latin sol {"sun; Sun-God"} and tropos Latin conversio "turning". This name is given to many plants, because many plants always turn their flowers towards the sun. Some people have called pentadactilum by that name, some cicoria and others other plants.

But Dyascorides has two chapters on eliotropium; the first chapter goes like this: the large eliotropium many people call scorpioron, because the flowers are similar in shape to a scorpion; but eliotropion really got this name, because it always follows the course of the sun. It has leaves similar to ozimum {"basil"}, but they are rougher and darker. It has five or six stalks coming from a single root. And it has many little branches. The flowers on these branches are of a white and purple-like colour and somewhat curved like the tail of a scorpion. Its root is thin and medicinally useless. It grows in rough places, and so forth.

The lesser eliotropium grows in cultivated places and in meadows and is similar to the one described above. But its fruit is round and hanging, and so forth.

From an ancient book De simplici medicina: Many call elyotropium by the name of verucaria {"wart-plant"}, because it gets rid of warts, and so forth. This herb is called in our community in our language herba rabiosa {"rabid herb"} and verucaria {"wart-plant"}.

{"I have spoken more than once ... of the marvel of" - not part of Simon's quote} "heliotropium, which turns round with the sun even on a cloudy day, so great a love it has for that luminary. At night it closes its blue flowers as though it mourned ... There are two varieties – tricoccum and helioscopium {Simon: heliostropium}. The latter is the taller, although neither is more than a foot {Simon: half a foot} in height, and sends out branches from a single ... root. Its seed, enclosed in a pod, is gathered at harvest time. It grows nowhere but in a rich, well cultivated soil, but tricoccum grows everywhere" - tanslated by W.S.H. Jones, Pliny, 22, 57, (1938-63: VI.333. {Simon adds: "etc."}

Simon's second quote is translated by W.S.H. Jones, (1938-63: VI.335): The other kind, called by us tricoccum and having the further name of scorpiuron, has leaves which not only are smaller but also turn towards the ground. Its seed is shaped like a scorpion's tail, which accounts for its name.

Stephanus in his Synonimus writes Iliotropium following the Greek pronunciation {i.e. iliotropium}, and for Arabic he has dheheneb elacrab which means in Latin cauda scorpionis {"scorpion's tail"}.


Simon's text sectioned - introduction:

Eliotropia grece est dictum soli conversa ab elios quod est sol, et tropos conversio, hoc nomen multis plantis attributum est: eo quod plures flores suos ad solem semper vertant, quidam enim pentadactilum sic vocaverunt quidam cicoriam et alii alias,

Apparatus:

Eliotropia ACD efj | Elioteopia B {'r' misread as 'e'} | Elitropia p {printer’s error}
dictum | dictu AC
attributum AC fp | atributum B | actributum ms. e | tributuʒ j
ad solem semper | semper a. s. ms. j
vertant AC p | vertunt fj | vertatur ms. e | uertat B
sic vocaverunt | v. s. ms. e
cicoriam AC f | cicoream B ejp
et alii alias AC | alii et alias ms. e | alii alias p | et alii aliter B | & alii j | om. f

Translation:

Eliotropia is Greek for Latin soli conversa {"turned towards the sun"}, from Greek elios for Latin sol {"sun; Sun-God"} and tropos Latin conversio "turning". This name is given to many plants, because many plants always turn their flowers towards the sun. Some people have called pentadactilum by that name, some cicoria and others other plants.

Commentary:

Eliotropia:
ἡλιοτρόπιον /heliotrópion/ was the name for a number of flowering plants in antiquity, mainly from the genus Heliotropium. Simon rightly explains the name as a compound of ἥλιος /hḗlios/ "sun; day" + τρόπος /trópos/ "turn, direction, way". The other plants he mentions covered by that name are πενταδάκτυλον /pentadáktylon/ from the genus Potentilla "cinque-foil" and κιχώριον /kichṓrion/ "chicory", Cichorium intybus L.


See Pentadactilus, Cicorea.



Simon's text sectioned:

Dya. vero de eliotropio duo facit ca. de primo sic, eliotropium maius multi scorpioron dicunt: eo quod flores similes sint figure scorpii, eliotropion vero ideo nomen accepit quod cursum solis semper respiciat, folia habet ozomo similia sed asperiora et nigriora, hastas ex una radice sex aut quinque ramis quamplurimis in quibus flores sunt coloris albi et subpurpurei et subcurvi sicut cauda scorpii, radix eius inutilis et tenuis est, nascitur locis asperis et cetera.

Eliotropium minus locis nascitur cultis et in pratis et est similis supradicte, semen vero rotundum habet pendens et cetera,


Apparatus:

eliotropio ACD | elioteopia B | elio<t>r<o>pio e

duo facit capitula ACD e | duo capitula facit B

eliotropium ACD e | elioteopium B

scorpioron ABCD | scorpio e

eo quod ACD| quod B e

quod flores ABCD | quod multi flores e

eliotropion ACD | elioteopion B | eliotropium e

respiciat ACD e | aspiciat B

ozomo ACD | ozimo B e

asperiora ACD | aspera B e

hastas AC| astas BD e

ramis ACD | ramulis B e

radix eius ACD e| radix est B

et cetera ABCD | deest e

Eliotropium ACD e | Elioteopium B


Translation:

But Dyascorides has two chapters on eliotropium; the first chapter goes like this: the large eliotropium many people call scorpioron, because the flowers are similar in shape to a scorpion; but eliotropion really got this name, because it always follows the course of the sun. It has leaves similar to ozimum {"basil"}, but they are rougher and darker. It has five or six stalks coming from a single root. And it has many little branches. The flowers on these branches are of a white and purple-like colour and somewhat curved like the tail of a scorpion. Its root is thin and medicinally useless. It grows in rough places, and so forth. The lesser eliotropium grows in cultivated places and in meadows and is similar to the one described above. But its fruit is round and hanging, and so forth.


Commentary:

Simon's quote is from Dioskorides Longobardus, 4, 185, ed. Stadler (1901: 91-2), De eliotropion maiore "On the large heliotropium", and 4, 186, ed. Stadler (1901: 92-3), De eliotropion minore "On the lesser heliotropium". σκορπίουρος,ον /skorpíouros/ simply means "scorpion-tailed", a compound of σκορπίος /skorpíos/ "scorpion" + ουρά /ourá/ "tail". It was used as a name for a number of plants, among them some Heliotropia.


See Scorpioron, Ozimum.



Simon's text sectioned:

liber antiquus de simplici medicina multi elyotropium verucariam dicunt: eo quod verucas extinguat et cetera, hec apud nos ydiomate nostro herba rabiosa et verucaria vocatur.


Apparatus:

antiquus ACD e | antiqus B

elyotropium ACD | elioteopium B | eliotropium e

extinguat ACD e| extinguit B

ydiomate nostro ACD | idiomate nostro B | ydio {followed by a gap} e


Translation:

From an ancient book De simplici medicina: Many call elyotropium by the name of verucaria {"wart-plant"}, because it gets rid of warts, and so forth. This herb is called in our community in our language herba rabiosa {"rabid herb"} and verucaria {"wart-plant"}.


Commentary:

The synonymy of heliotropium and herba verrucaria "wart-herb" - from verruca i.a. "a wart on the human body" - is confirmed by Pliny, 22, 29, 59, ed. Rackham (1938-63: VI.332-4); speaking of Heliotropi miraculum "the miracle heliotropium", he states: verrucas cum sale tollit sucus e folio, unde nostri verrucariam herbam appellavere - "The juice from its leaves applied with some salt takes away warts; this is why we have named it verrucaria herba {"wart herb"};and also by Marcellus Empiricus, 19, 64, eds. Niedermann & Liechtenhan (1968): Herbam verrucariam, id est heliotropium, contusam et subactam adiecta salis mica adpositamque malandriosis vel his, qui verrucas patiuntur, prodesse plurimum constat - "It is well know that herba verrucaria {"wart herb"}, i.e. heliotropium, pounded and kneaded and applied with a pinch of salt is very good for those who suffer from blisters or pustules on the neck and those with warts". Cf. further Rufinus p.119, Eliotropium D<IASCORIDES> Ipsa est quam Latini intubam vel verrucariam vocant, eo quod verrucas extinguat - "This plant is what the Latin speakers call intuba or verrucaria because it gets rid of warts". Unfortunately the Dioscorides quotes in Rufinus are mostly spurious, as is this one.


See Verucaria.



Simon's text sectioned:

Plinius eliotropium cum sole circum agens etiam nubilo die tantum sideris amore est noctu velut desiderio contrahit ceruleum florem, genera eius duo tricocum eliostropium hoc alterius quamquam utrunque semipedalem altitudinem non excedat ab una radice ramosum semen in foliculo messibus colligitur, nascitur vero non nisi in pingui solo cultoque maxime, tricocum ubique et cetera, et infra, illud genus quod tricocum appellamus et alio nomine scorpiuron vocatur foliis non solum minoribus sed etiam in terram virgentibus, semen est ei effigie scorpionis caude quare et nomen et cetera.


Apparatus:

eliotropium ACD e | elioteopium B

tantum ACD | tantus B

amore ACD | amor B e

noctu ACD e | nocte B

velut ABCD | velud e

eius duo ACD | eius sunt duo B | cuius duo e

duo tricocum ABC e | duo triticum D {triticum "wheat" is misread}

eliostropium ACD | eliostrofium B | et elistropum e

hoc alterius ACD e | hoc altius B

semipedalem ACD | semipedale B | semipede e

vero non ACD | non B

infra ABCD | ita e

quod tricocum ACD | quod tricococum B | tricocum deest e

appellamus ACD | appellavimus B e

scorpiuron ACD | scorpion B e

virgentibus ACD | vergentibus B e


Translation:

W.S.H. Jones, Pliny, 22, 57, (1938-63: VI.333) translates: "{I have spoken more than once ... of the marvel of - not part of Simon's quote} heliotropium, which turns round with the sun even on a cloudy day, so great a love it has for that luminary. At night it closes its blue flowers as though it mourned ... There are two varieties – tricoccum and helioscopium {Simon: heliostropium}. The latter is the taller, although neither is more than a foot {Simon: half a foot} in height, and sends out branches from a single ... root. Its seed, enclosed in a pod, is gathered at harvest time. It grows nowhere but in a rich, well cultivated soil, but tricoccum grows everywhere". {Simon adds: "etc."}.

Simon's second quote is translated by W.S.H. Jones, (1938-63: VI.335): The other kind, called by us tricoccum and having the further name of scorpiuron, has leaves which not only are smaller but also turn towards the ground. Its seed is shaped like a scorpion's tail, which accounts for its name.



Simon's text sectioned:

Stephanus in synonimis Iliotropium post grecum scribit et exposuit per arabicum dheheneb elacrab et est dictum cauda scorpionis.


Apparatus:

synonimis (–nõi- A) AC | syno͞m͞s ms. e | sĩonĩis B | synois f

ylyotropiuʒ (-ũ A) AC | elioteopiũ B | Iliotropiũ ef

{grecum} qui add. B ef

et (& ABC) ABC e | sic f.

Dheneb alacrab e | deheneb elacrab f | dhẽebe lacrab B | heheneb elacrab AC

dictu AC | dictũ B | d͞c͞tʒ f | d͞c͞m ms. e

cauda om. f


Translation:

Stephanus in his Synonimus writes Iliotropium following the Greek pronunciation {i.e. iliotropium}, and for Arabic he has dheheneb elacrab which means in Latin cauda scorpionis {"scorpion's tail"}.


Commentary:

Stephanus in his Breviarium writes: iliotropiõ ... solsequa ... denebelhacrab [[1]].

Siggel (1950: 37): ﺫﻧﺐ ﺍﻟﻌﻘﺮﺏ /ḏanab al-ʕaqrab/ Scorpiurus sulcatus.

Cf. Wehr (1976): ﺫﻧﺐ /ḏanab/ "tail"; ﻋﻘﺮﺏ /ʕaqrab/ "scorpion, sting".

WilfGunther 12/03/2012

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