6 2 The Garden of pleafant Flowers. 



There yet remaine many obferuations, concerning thefe beautifull flowers, fit to be 

 knowne, which could not, without too much prolixity, be comprehended within the 

 body of the defcription of them ; but are referued to bee intreated of a part by them- 

 felues. 



All forts of Tulipas beare vfually but one ftalke, and that without any branches : 

 but fometimes nature is fo plentifull in bearing, that it hath two or three ftalkes, and 

 fometimes two, or more branches out of one ftalke (euery ftalke or branch bearing 

 one flower at the toppe) but this is but feldome feene ; and when it doth happen once, 

 it is hardly feene againe in the fame roote, but is a great figne, that the roote that 

 doth thus, being an old roote, will the fame yeare part into diuers rootes, whereof 

 euery one, being of a reafonable greatneffe, will beare both his ftalke and flower the 

 next yeare, agreeing with the mother plant in colour, as all the of-fets of Tulipas doe 

 for the mort part : for although the young of-fets of fome doe vary from the maine 

 roote, euen while it groweth with them, yet being feparated, it will bee of the fame 

 colour with the mother plant. 



There groweth oftentimes in the Medias, and fometimes alfo in the Preecoces, but 

 more feldome, a frnall bulbe or roote, hard aboue the ground, at the bottome of the 

 ftalke, and betweene it and the lower leafe, which when the ftalke is dry, and it ripe, 

 being put into the ground, will bring forth in time a flower like vnto the mother plant, 

 from whence it was taken. 



The flowers alfo of Tulipas confift mort commonly of fixe leaues, but fometimes 

 they are feene to haue eight or tenne, or more leaues ; but vfually, thofe rootes beare 

 but their ordinary number of fixe leaues the next yeare : the head for feede then, is 

 for the moft part foure fquare, which at all other times is but three fquare, or when 

 the flower wanteth a leafe or two, as fometimes alfo it doth, it then is flat, hauing but 

 two fides. 



The forme of the flower is alfo very variable ; for the leaues of fome Tulipas are all 

 fharpe pointed, or all blunt and round pointed, and many haue the three outer leaues 

 fharpe pointed, and the three inner round or pointed, and fome contrariwife, the three 

 outermoft round pointed, and the three inner fharpe pointed. Againe, fome haue all 

 the leaues of the flowers long and narrow, and fome haue them broader and fliorter. 

 Some Pracoces alfo haue their flowers very large and great, equall vnto eyther the 

 Media, or Serotina, which moft commonly are the largeft, and others haue them as 

 fmall as the Bolonia Tulipa. 



The bottomes of the leaues of the flowers are alfo variably diuerfified, and fo are 

 both the chiues or threeds that ftand vp about the head, and the tips or pendents that 

 are hanging loofe on the toppes of them ; and by the difference of the bottomes or 

 chiues, many flowers are diftinguifhed, which elfe are very like in colour, and alike 

 alfo marked. 



For the fmell alfo there is fome diuerfity ; for that the flowers of fome are very 

 fweete, of others nothing at all, and fome betweene both, of a fmall fent, but not offen- 

 fiue : and yet fome I haue obferued haue had a ftrong ill fent ; but how to fhew you to 

 diftinguifh them, more then by your owne fenfe, I cannot : for the feedes of fweete 

 fmelling Tulipas doe not follow their mother plant, no more then they doe in the 

 colour. 



And laftly, take this, which is not the leaft obferuation, worth the noting, that I 

 haue obferued in many : When they haue beene of one entire colour for diuers yeares, 

 yet in fome yeare they haue altered very much, as if it had not beene the fame, viz. 

 from a purple or ftamell, it hath beene variably either parted, or mixed, or ftriped 

 with white, eyther in part, or through the whole flower, and fo in a red or yellow 

 flower, that it hath had eyther red or yellow edges, or yellow or red fpots, lines, 

 veines, or flames, running through the red or yellow colour, and fometimes it hath 

 happened, that three leaues haue been equally parted in the middle with red and yel- 

 low, the other three abiding of one colour, and in fome the red had fome yellow in it, 

 and the yellow fome red fpots in it alfo ; whereof I haue obferued, that all fuch flow- 

 ers, not hauing their originall in that manner, (for fome that haue fuch or the like 

 markes from the beginning, that is, from the firft and fecond yeares flowring, are con- 

 ftant, and doe not change) but as I faid, were of one colour at the firft, doe fhew the 



weaknefle 





