CHAP. 55. (31.)—THE BARK OF TREES.
In some trees the bark [Note] is thin, as in the laurel and the
lime; in others, again, it is thick, as in the robur; in some it is
smooth, as in the apple and the fig, while in the robur and the
palm it is rough: in all kinds it becomes more wrinkled when
the tree is old. In some trees the bark bursts spontaneously,
as in the vine for instance, while in others it falls off even, as
we see in the apple and the arbutus. In the cork-tree and
the poplar, the bark is substantial and fleshy; in the vine and
the reed it is membraneous. In the cherry it is similar to
the coats of the papyrus, while in the vine, the lime, and the
fir, it is composed of numerous layers. In others, again, it is
single, the fig and the reed for instance.