

+i8 



Of the Hiftorie of Plants. Lib. *. 



which beiDg pad, there appcarc triangle huskes or buttons wherein is the feed. The root is a ' 

 were a great tuft of threds or thrums. s lC 



$ ^ 2 This plant in his roots and Ieaues is like the laftdefcribed,asalfo in the ftalk,biit mv h 

 k flc in each of them, the ftalk being about tome foot high • at the top whereof ftand many pre r 

 ftar-Iike skinny fced-veflcls/rontaining a yellowifh feed. $ ^ ^ 



3 The rhird kinde hath long little narrow Ieaues much like the Plantaine called Ribwort • 

 mong which rifevp fmall and feeble ftalkes branched at the top, whereon are placed white flo^ 

 confi fting of three (lender Ieaues ; which be jng fallen, there come to your view round knobs » 

 rough burs : the roor is threddy. 



% 



i This herb growes about the brinks of riuers,ponds,and ditches almoft euery where. 



$ 2 3 Thcfe are more rare. I found the fecond a little beyond Ilford, in the way to Rum 

 ford,and M l Goodyer found it alfo growing vpon Hounflow heath. I found the third in thecorara" 

 nieof M r Will. Broadand W Lcemrd Buckmrjn aditchon this fide Margate in the Ifle of Tern t 



They flourc from Iunc till Auguft. 



^[ The Time. 

 ^f The Names 



The fir ft is cal led Plant ago aqttaticajhat is,water Plantain, t The fecond Lobel calls Altfmipfil. 



lum angufli folium muricatttm ; and in the MJl.Lugd. it is called Damafoniumjlellatum. $ 



The third is named Plant ago aquatica humilis, the low water Plantaine. 



t I thinke it fit here to reftore this plant to his antient dignitie, that is 3 his names and titles 

 wherewith he was antiently dignified by Viofcorides and Pliny . The former whereof cals it by fun- 

 dry names 3 andal very fignificantand proper^as ^w#», mi^}«w? f *t'0«A7 > A«>ft?iif .• thus many are Greek 

 and therefore ought not to be reie<5ted,as they haue been by fome without either reafon or autho- 

 ritie. For the barbarous names we can fay nothing : now it is faid to be called Limonium y becaufc 

 *A*ti»ci9uiT«i : it growes inwetorouerflownmedowes: it is called 2^f«m^becaufe the leaf is com- 

 pofed of diuers (kings or fibers running from one end thereof to the other.as in Plantaine; which 

 therfore by Viofcorides it is termed for the fame reafbn Wm^- Alfo it may be as fitly termed £» 

 chitisjox the fimilitudc which the leafe hath to the top or head of a Iance,which % properly (ig- 

 nifics,as that other plant defcribed by Viofcorides Jib.$.cap.i6i. for that the feed (a lefle eminent 

 part) refembles the fame thing. And for Pot amogcit on which fignifies a neighbor to the riuerorw- 

 terj thinke it loues the water as well,and is as neere a neighbour to it as that which takes its name 

 from rhence,and is defcribed by Viofcorides Jib. q.io i . Now to come to Pliny Jib.20. cap. S.hecals 

 it Bttafylueftris^Limonion^and Neuroides : the two later names are out o£DiofeoridesjLT\& I (hall (he* 

 you where alfo you fhall finde the former in him. Thus much I thinke might feme for the vindica- 

 tion of my affertion, for I dare boldly affirm, that no late writer can fit all thefe names to any other 

 plant-and that makes me more to wonder,that all our late Herbarifts 3 as MatthioltuJ)odw* m J* c 

 fiu*>C&falfinus>Dalefchantpim^ but abone alljPena and Lobel(who,/lduerf.pag.i 2 6. cal it to queftion) 

 fhould not allow this plant to be Limonium^cfpccially feeing that Anguillara had before or in their 

 time aflerted it (6 to be : but whether he gaue any reafons or no for his AfTertion,I cannot tell, be* 

 caufe I could neuer by any meanesgethisopinions,butonely find by Bauhines pinax>thaifo&* l J 

 his opinion hereof. But to return from whence I digreft : I will giue you Diofcorides his d c ' cr, P^ 

 on,with a briefe explanation thereofymdfo defift. It is thus s It hath Ieaues like aBeet,thinncra 

 larger 5 ten or more 1 a ftalkeflender. ftraight, and as tall as that of a Lilly , and full °" € f ( [, 

 aftringent tafte. The Ieaues of this you fee are larger than thofe ofa Beet,and thin 5 and as I to: ^ 

 ly told you in the names,neruous ; which to be fo may be plainly gathered by Diofcorides his * w 

 inthedefcriptionofwhite Hellebore, whofe Ieaues hecompares to the Ieaues of Plantain an ^ 

 wild Beet : now there is no wilde Beet mentioned by any of the Antients 5 but only this by ' J f 

 the place formerly quoted h nor no leafe more fit to compare thofe of Hellebore to than t f 

 water Plantaine, efpecially for the nerues and fibers that run alongft the Ieaues : the ftalke ^ 

 this is but flender.confider ing the height, and it grows ftraight, and as high as that ofa L" J* 

 the top plentifully ftored with aftringent feed : So that no one note is wanting in this, nor 

 any to be found in the other plants that many haue of late Cct forth for Limoniurn. t 



m The Temperature 



Water Plantain is cold and dry of temperature. 







n** 



f 



