Chap. 71 The Elder: The Bramble
Of a peculiar nature, too, though to be reckoned among the water2652-plants, is the bramble, a shrub-like plant, and the elder, which is of a spongy nature, though not resembling giant fennel, from having upon it a greater quantity of wood. It is a belief among the shepherds that if they cut a horn or trumpet from the wood of this tree, it will give all the louder sound if cut in a spot where the shrub has been out of hearing of the crowing of the cock. The bramble bears mulberries,2653 and one variety of it, known as the cynosbatos,2654 bears a flower similar to the rose. There is a third variety, known to the Greeks as the Idæan2655 bramble, from the place where it grows: it is slighter than the others, with smaller thorns, and not so hooked. Its flower, mixed with honey, is employed as an ointment for sore eyes and erysipelas: and an infusion of it in water is used for diseases of the stomach.2656
The elder2657 bears a small black berry, which contains a viscous juice, employed more particularly for staining2658 the hair. The berries, too, are boiled in water and eaten.2659