Phytius was the son of Orestheus and according to one genealogy the father of Oeneus (whose father is more usually given as
Portheus). As with Phytalus, his name means 'planter', from phyton, 'plant'. The story goes that Orestheus had a bitch
Sirius (mentioned earlier in his entry, which see) who gave birth to a piece of wood. Orestheus buried it, and from it in due course there grew a fine vine. Because of this miracle, Orestheus named his son Phytius.
