DESCRIPTIONS OF PLANTS 121 



Corn Parsley. Carum segetum, Benth. 

 Sium siifoliis. Hone-wort. 18 August 1620 



^ The Description. 



This herbe commeth up at the first from seed Hke Parsley, with 

 two small long narrow leaves, the next that spring are two small 

 round smooth leaves nickt about the edges, and so for two or three 

 couples of leaves of the next growth there are such round leaves 

 growing on a middle rib by couples, and one round one, also at the 

 top ; after as more leaves spring up, so the fashion of them also 

 change, that is to say, every leafe hath about eight or nine small 

 smooth greene leaves, growing on each side of a middle rib one 

 opposite against another, and one growing by it selfe at the top, 

 and are finely snipt or indented about the edges, in forme re- 

 sembling those of Siiini odoratimi Tragi, but not so bigge, long, or 

 at all brownish ; amongst which rise up many small round straked 

 stalkes or branches, about two foot long, now and then above 

 twenty from one root, sometimes growing upright, sometimes 

 creeping not farre from the ground, joynted or kneed, and dividing 

 themselves into very many branches, at every joynt groweth one 

 leafe smaller than the former, which together with the lowermost 

 perish, so that there is seldome one greene leafe to be seen on this 

 herbe when the seed is ripe ; the flowers are white, and grow most 

 commonly at the tops of the branches, sometimes at most of the 

 joynts even from the earth, in uneven or unorderly umbells, every 

 flower having five exceeding small leaves, flat, and broad at the 

 toppe, and in the middle very small cheives with purple tops, the 

 whole flower not much exceeding the bignesse of a small pins head, 

 which being past there commeth up in the place of every flower 

 two small gray crooked straked seeds, like Parsley seeds, but 

 bigger, in taste hot and aromaticall. The root is small and 

 whitish, with many threds not so big as Parsley roots. It beginneth 

 to flower about the beginning of luly, & so continues flowering 

 a long time ; part of the seed is ripe in August, and some scarce 

 in the beginning of October, mean while some falleth wherby 

 it renueth it selfe, and groweth with flourishing greene leaves all 

 the winter. 



I tooke the description of this herbe the yeere 1620, but 

 observed it long before, not knowing any name for it : first I re- 

 fered it to Siinn, calling it, Sium terrestre, and Sitcm segetum 

 & agroriim ; afterwards upon sight of Selimim peregriniini privmui 

 Clusii, which in some respects resembleth this herbe, I named it 



