Naturalis historia 12.6.24

12.6.24

Maior alia pomo et suavitate praecellentior, 5 quo sapientes Indorum vivunt. folium alas avium imitatur, longitudine triun cubitorum, latitudine duum. fructum cortice emittit admirabilem suci dulcedine, ut uno quaternos satiet. arbori nomen palae, pomo arierae. plurima est in Sydracis, expeditionum Alexandri termino. est et alia simi- 10 lis huic, dulcior pomo , sed interaneorum valetudini infesta. edixerat Alexander ne quis agminis sui id pomum attingeret.

CHAP. 12. (6.)—THE PALA: THE FRUIT CALLED ARIENA. There is another tree in India, of still larger size, and even more remarkable for the size and sweetness of its fruit, upon which the sages of India live. The leaf of this tree resembles, in shape, the wing of a bird, being three cubits in length, and two in breadth. It puts forth its fruit from the bark, a fruit remarkable for the sweetness of its juice, a single one containing sufficient to satisfy four persons. The name of this tree is "pala," and of the fruit, "ariena." They are found in the greatest abundance in the country of the Sydraci, a territory which forms the extreme limit of the expedition of Alex- ander. There is another tree, also, very similar to this, but bearing a still sweeter fruit, though very apt to cause derangement of the bowels. Alexander issued strict orders, forbidding any one in the expedition to touch this fruit.