On Plants (Greek:Περὶ φυτῶν;Latin:De plantis) is a botanical treatise included in theCorpus Aristotelicum but usually regarded asPseudo-Aristotle.[1] In 1923, a manuscript containing the original Arabic translation from Greek, as done byIshaq ibn Hunayn, was discovered inIstanbul, which led scholars to conclude the work was likely an exegesis/commentary by philosopherNicolaus of Damascus (d. 4 AD) on a treatise by Aristotle which is now lost.On Plants describes the nature and origins of plants.
The work is divided into two parts.
The first part discusses the nature of plant life,sex in plants, the parts of plants, the structure of plants, theclassification of plants, the composition and products of plants, the methods of propagation and fertilization of plants, and the changes and variations of plants.
The second part describes the origins of plant life, the material of plants, the effects of external conditions andclimate on plants,water plants,rock plants, effects of locality on plants,parasitism, the production of fruits and leaves, the colors and shapes of plants, and fruits and their flavors.
"Alfred the Englishman translated the Arabic version into Latin in the reign ofHenry III. It was retranslated from this version into Greek at the Renaissance by a Greek resident in Italy."[2]
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