FIELD SCORPION-GRASS. 87 



seventeen distinct remedies. These plants were sometimes 

 called scorpoides by the older writers, but at other times 

 this name was limited to one or two foreign plants with 

 very twisted seeds, and our English plants were grouped 

 with them in the old herbals, yet separated by the title of 

 false bastard scorpoides. After describing these foreign 

 plants, DodonaBus, for example, goes on to speak of the 

 forget-me-not and the present plant, making the one 

 masculine and the other feminine. "There is yet two 

 other small herbs which some do also name scorpion-grass 

 or scorpion-wort, although they be not the right. The 

 one of them is called male scorpion, and the other female 

 scorpion. The male bastard scorpoides groweth about the 

 length of a man's hand, or to the length of a foote, his stalks 

 are crookedly turning oboue at the top, whereon the knops, 

 buds, and floures do stand, euen like to a scorpion's taile ; 

 the leaues be long, narrow, and small. The floures be 

 faire and pleasant, being of fine little leaues set one by 

 another, of azure colour with a little yellow in the middle. 

 The female bastard scorpoides is very much like to the 

 male, sailing that his stalks and leaves be rough and hairie 

 and his floueres smaller. The tops of the stalkes be likewise 

 crooked, euen as the tops of the male. The male bastard 

 scorpoides groweth in medowes, alongst by running 

 streames and water courses ; and the neerer it groweth to 

 the water the greater it is and the higher, so that the 

 leaues do sometimes grow to the quantitie of willow leaues. 

 The female bastard scorpoides groweth in the borders of 

 fields and gardens. The bastard scorpoides haue none 

 other knowen name, but some do count them to be scorpion 

 herbs." 



Besides the forget-me-not, a plant we have already 



