THE TLORA OF COLONIAL DAYS. 85 



as little inferior to asparagus. Woodwax, wherewith 

 they dye many pretty colors. 



Note. — There is a tradition that it was introduced here by Gov. 

 Endecott, which may have been some forty years before Josselyn 

 finished his herborizing — enough to account for its naturalization 

 then. It was long confined to Salem. Dr. Cutler says "pastures 

 between New Mills and Salem." Woad seed is set down in a memo- 

 randum of the Governor and Company of Massachusetts Bay before 

 February, 1628, to be sent to New England. Gov. Endecott is also 

 responsible for importing another plant to his Danvers home, for we 

 find in Hanson's History of Danvers this note, after referring to Gov. 

 Endecott's land; " If tradition be correct, he introduced for medici- 

 nal purposes, as well as by way of ornament to his garden, the White- 

 weed, or Chrysanthennim Jeiicanthp.mum of the botanist, which has 

 since become so detrimental to the hayflelds of our farmers in some 

 parts of the State." 



"Of such Plants as are proper to the country. Indian 

 Wheat, of which there are three sorts, yellow, red and 

 blew. Mountain Lillies, bearing many yellow flowers. 

 Hollow-leaved Lavendar is a plant that grows in salt 

 marshes, overgrown with moss, with one straight stalk 

 about the bigness of an Oatstraw, better than a cubit 

 high ; upon the top standeth one fantastical Flower, the 

 Leaves grow close from the root in shape like a Tankard, 

 hollow, tough and always full of Water, the Root is made 

 up of many small strings, growing only in the Moss and 

 not in the Earth, the whole Plant comes to its perfection 

 in August, and then it has Leaves, Stalks and Flowers, 

 as red as blood, excepting the Flower, which hath some 

 yellow admixt. I wonder where the knowledge of this 

 Plant hath slept all this while, i. e., above Forty Years. 

 Tree Primrose, Maiden Hair, ordinarily half a yard in 

 height, Pirola of two kinds, Indian Beans, Squashes, but 

 more truly Squonter-squashes, a kind of Mellon or rather 

 Gourd, Pompiones and Water Mellons, too, they have in 

 good store. New England Daysie or Primrose, flowers in 



ESSEX INST. BULLETIN, VOL. XXVII 10 



