05.08.25: topic; the fruits of the earth [16]; Comenius (1658); fruits of trees (iv); notes and vocabulary (iii)

Barren trees are the firr, the alder, the birch, the cypress, the beech, the ash, the sallow (willow), the linden-tree, &c., but most of them affording shade. │ sterilēs arborēs sunt abiēs, alnus, betula*, cupressus, fāgus, fraxinus, salix, tilia, &c. Sed plēræque umbriferæ.

But the Juniper, and Bay-tree, yield Berries. │ At Jūniperus & Laurus ferunt Baccās

The Pine, Pine-apples. │ Pīnus, Strobīlōs.

The Oak, Acorns and Galls**. │ Quercus Glandēs & Gallās.

*CL: betulla

**oak-apples

[8]

Many names of trees in Latin are second declension in -us, but, unlike the vast majority of 2^nd declension -us nouns, they are feminine and not masculine:

alnus, -ī [2/f]: alder

fāgus, -ī [2/f]: beech

frāxinus, -ī [2/f]: ash

iūniperus, -ī [2/f]: juniper

laurus, -ī [2/f]: laurel; bay tree

pīnus, -ī [2/f]: pine

pōmus, -ī [2/f]: any kind of fruit tree

ulmus, -ī [2/f]: elm

cupressus, -ī [2 m/f]: cyprus

Note:

quercus, -ūs [4/f]: oak

[9]

bacca, -ae [1/f]: berry

galla, -ae [1/f]: oak-apple

glāns, glandis [3/f]: acorn; any acorn-shaped fruit

It’s interesting to note the translator’s use of the word pine-apples, referring to the ‘fruit’ i.e. the produce of the pine-tree: strobilus, -ī [2/m]: pine-cone; from Ancient Greek στρόβῑλος [stróbīlos]. Pineapples, indigenous to South America, were first introduced to Europe in the 17^th century but were not cultivated in Europe until the first half of the 18^th century. The first recorded written reference of the word pineapple meaning the tropical fruit was in 1714. Comenius and Hoole, his translator, may have known about the pineapple but it is unlikely they had ever seen a picture of one, they certainly hadn’t tasted one, and no reference to the tropical fruit is given anywhere in Comenius’ work.

https://adckl.blogspot.com/2024/06/140824-follow-up-food-and-drink-6-solve.html

[10]

abiēs, abietis [3/f]: silver fir

betulla, -ae [1/f] (CL);  betula, -ae [1/f] (Late / Mediaeval): birch tree

salix, salicis [3/f]: willow

tilia, -ae [1/f]: linden; lime-tree