8+8 



Of the Hiftorie of Plants. 



L 



IB. 2. 



highland longer than either the long or the round : the leaues thereofbesreaterth^jTr 



Cir/tli/irr/i thp f!nntv»c nrJlrunr Inner ami in ori(-<TflF>hancrin<T /->.,„. _f _ _._i. ". _ _ w «"tnol( 



farabac *vi,the floures hollow.Iong, and 



eof> 



blackifh colour : the root is fomwhat long,oftentime$ of a mean thickneffe yellow 1 V If UOured 

 inferior in bitterneflc either to the long or round Birthwort : and fometimes'thefe ar f a' m 

 fmall and (lender,and that is when they were but lately digged vp and gathered • fa hi t0bec 

 parcels of the roots which are left, the yong plants bring forth atthe beginning tendeund bn* 



5 Small Birthwort is like to the long and round Birthwort both in (hikes and leamx 

 lefTer and tenderer : the leaues thereof are broad, and like thofe of Iuy . the floure is Ion Tn " 

 in the vpper part ; and on the outfide blackifh ; the fruit fomething round like the yS f , 

 Birthwort : in ftead of roots there grow forth a multitude of (lender firings. r0und 



P 



■ 



t 6 PiftelocbiaCreticaJiut Virginia. Virginian Snake-root. 



■/ 





'/ 



■v 



f 



$ 6 Cluftus figures and defcribes another fmal Pijhhc&iajby the name of piftohchu Crttkito 

 which I thought good toadde the Epithit Virginian* alfo, for that the much admired Snakeweed 

 of Virginia fecras no otherwife to differ from it than an inhabitant of Candy from one of the Vir- 

 ginians^vhich none I think wil fay to differ injfecie.l wil,firft giue Clufws his jdefcription,and then 

 expreffe the little varietic that I haue obferued in the plants that were brought from Virginia,and 

 grew here with vs : It fends forth many (lender (talks a foot long,more or leffcand tbefe are cone- 

 red or indented,crefted,branched,tough,and bending towards the ground,or fpred tbereon,and of a 

 darke green colour - y vpon which without order grow leaues neruous, and like thofe of the laft de- 

 fcribed,but much (harper pointed,and after a fortrefembling the fhape of thofe of Smilax 4 at > 

 but lefle-and of a darke and lading greene colour,faftned to longifh ftalks ; out of wbofe bofomes 

 grow long and crooked floures infhapc like thofe of the long Birthworr,but of a darker red on the 

 outfide s but fomewbat yellowifh within } and thefe are alfo faftned to pretty long ftalkes, and are 

 fucceeded by fruit not vnlike, yet lefle than that of the long Birthwort. This hath aboundance of 

 toots like as the former,but much fmaller,and more fibrous,and of a ftronger fmehit flours in Iuty 

 and Auguft. Thus Cluftus defcribes his: To which that Snake-weed that was brought from ftp- 

 ««,and grew with M r lohn Tradefcam at South Lambeth, An. i 6$ 2, was agreeable in all points, bat 

 here and there one of the lower leaues were fomewhat broader, and rounder pointed than therel » 

 the floure was long, red, crooked, and a little hairy, and it did not open the top or fhew the inrw 

 fide,which I iudge was by reafon of thecoldnefleand vnfeafonablenefle of the later part of tnci - 

 merwhen it floured : the ftalks in the figure (hould haue binexpreft more crooking or indenting, 

 for they commonly grow fo. How hard it is to iudge of plants by one particle or faculty may «; 

 well appeare by this herb I now treat of : for fome by the fimilitude the root had with ^f^.j 

 a vomiting quality which they attributed to it(which certainly is no other than accidental^ °"' 

 forthwith pronounce and maintaine it an A 'forum : fome alfo refer it to other things,as to I rra 

 fes,f mcttoxicunt&c.O&txs more warily name it Serf entaria Virginiana,U Radix rirgMW** 

 as it were offering themfelues,and eafily fitted and impofed vpon fundry things,but : yet ; toog 



nLand therfore not fit any more to be vfed,feeing the true and fpecrfique denomination n tou 



«fr The Place. 



Plitfj (heweth,Tfcu the Birtbworts grow in fatapd Champian places : The fields ofSpamc^are 



