Stafilodendron

Stafilodendron Plinius arbor simillima aceri trans alpes nascens alba materia fert siliquas sed in his nucleos sapore nucis avellane.

Apparatus:

Stafilodendron ABC ejp | Stafilodondron f
simillima | similis j
aceri | aceri ul’ aceu B
transalpes (trans alpes AC p) ABC efp | transalpẽs j
alba materia | albo materie Pliny
materia | amara B
{materia; amara B} .i. ligno om. AC
his ABC | hiis efjp
{his} siliquas add. p
nucis AC ej | nucum B fp
auellane AC efp | auelane B j
{auellane} etcetera add. fj

Translation:

Stafilodendron according to Pliny is a tree very similar to acer {“maple”} that grows beyond the Alps; its material, i.e. wood, is white, it bears pods {or capsules} and in these there are nuts that taste like nux avellana {“filbert nut”}

Commentary:

Simon’s entry is a near-verbatim excerpt from Pliny, Natural History, 16, 27, 69, ed. Rackham (1938-63, IV: 432).

Stafilodendron:
Greek *σταφυλόδενδρον /staphylódendron/, lit. “tree with grapes” is a compound consisting of the compound form of σταφυλή /staphylḗ/ {“bunch of grapes”} + δένδρον /déndron/ {“woody plant, tree”}. This Greek derived word is only attested in Pliny’s latinised transcription staphylodendron. Simon’s form reflects an itacist pronunciation: /stafilódendron/.

Botanical identification:

Staphylodendron is identified by André (1985: 248, s.v.) as Staphylea pinnata L. “European bladdernut” [[1]], [[2]]. The upright deciduous shrub’s/tree’s inflated papery capsules could be compared to a bunch of grapes [[3]] and within these capsules there are some nut-like seeds [[4]], in taste often compared to pistachio nuts.
In spite of its Greek name the tree does not occur in Greece. Although it is found in Southern Italy (Genaust 1996: 608); s.v. Staphyléa, its distribution is in fact mostly “transalpine” in that it occurs in Southern Germany, Austria and South-Eastern Europe up to the Caucasus.

Staphylea is a shortened form introduced by Linnaeus for older Staphylodendron.

WilfGunther (talk) 17:45, 19 October 2016 (BST)

Avellana see Pontica; see Acer

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