The Natural History of Pliny, Volume 3 · the Elder Pliny
CHAP. 9.—THE GALL-NUT.
All[2250] the glandiferous trees produce the gall-nut as well: they only bear acorns, however, in alternate years. The gall-nut of the hemeris[2251] is considered the choicest of all, and the best adapted for the preparation of leather: that of the latifolia closely resembles it, but is somewhat lighter, and not by any means so highly approved. This last tree produces the black gall-nut also—for there are two varieties of it—this last being deemed preferable for dyeing wool. (7.) The gall-nut begins to grow just as the sun is leaving the sign of Gemini,[2252] and always bursts forth in its entirety in a single night.[2253] The white variety grows, too, in a single day, but if the heat happens to overtake it, it shrinks immediately, and never arrives at its proper size, which is about that of a bean. The black gall-nut will remain green for a longer period, and sometimes attains the size of an apple[2254] even. The best kind is that which comes from Commagene,[2255] and the most inferior are those produced by the robur: it may easily be tested by means of certain holes in it which admit of the passage of the light.[2256] CHAP. 10.—OTHER PRODUCTIONS ON THESE TREES BESIDES THE ACORN.
The robur, in addition to its fruit, has a great number of other productions: it bears[2257] the two varieties of the gall-nut, and a production which closely resembles the mulberry,[2258] except that it differs from it in being dry and hard: for the most part it bears a resemblance to a bull’s head, and in the inside there is a fruit very similar to the stone of the olive. Little balls[2259] also are found growing on the robur, not unlike nuts in appearance, and containing within them a kind of soft wool, which is used for burning in lamps; for it will keep burning without oil, which is the case also with the black gall-nut. It bears another kind, too, of little ball, covered with hair,[2260] but used for no purpose: in spring, however, this contains a juice like honey. In the hollows formed by the union of the trunk and branches of this tree there are found also small round balls,[2261] which adhere bodily to the bark, and not by means of a stalk: at the point of junction they are white, but the rest of the body is spotted all over with black: inside they are of a scarlet colour, but on opening them they are found to be empty, and are of a bitter taste. Sometimes, too, the robur bears a kind of pumice,[2262] as well as little balls, which are formed of the leaves rolled up; upon the veins of the leaves, too, there are watery pustules, of a whitish hue, and transparent while they are soft; in these a kind of gnat[2263] is produced, and they come to maturity just in the same way that the ordinary gall-nut does.
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