CHAP. 71.—THE ELDER: THE BRAMBLE.
Of a peculiar nature, too, though to be reckoned among the water[2652]-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 Idæan[2655] 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 elder[2657] bears a small black berry, which contains a viscous juice, employed more particularly for staining[2658] the hair. The berries, too, are boiled in water and eaten.[2659]