432 The Garden of pleafant Flowers. 



The Names. 



This plant hath diuers names ; for it is thought to be that kinde of Amo- 

 mum that Plinie fetteth downe. Dodonaeus calleth it Pfeudocapfaum, for 

 fome likeneffe in the leafe and fruit vnto the fmall Capfaum or Ginnie Pep- 

 per, although much vnlike in the tafte and property. Others doe call it 

 Strichnodendron, that is, Solanum arborefcens, and wee in Englifh according 

 thereunto, Tree Night {hade. But fome Latine affes corrupting the Latine 

 word Amomum, doe call it the Mumme tree. Dalechampius calleth it Sola- 

 num Americum, feu Indicum, and faith the Spaniards call it in their tongue, 

 Guindas de las Indias, that is, Cerafa Indiana, Indian Cherries, which if any 

 would follow, I would not bee much againft it : but many Gentlewomen 

 doe call them Winter Cherries, becaufe the fruit is not throughly ripe vn- 

 till Winter. 



The Vertues. 



I finde no phyficall property allotted vnto it, more then that by reafon 

 of the infipidity, it is held to be cooling. 



CHAP. CXVI. 



Ficus Indica minor. The fmaller Indian Figge tree. 



THis Indian Figge tree, if you will call it a tree (becaufe in our Country it is not 

 fo, although it groweth in the naturall hot Countries from a wooddy ftemme 

 or body into leaues) is a plant confiding only of leaues, one fpringing out of an- 

 other, into many branches of leaues, and all of them growing out of one leafe, put in- 

 to the ground halfe way, which taking roote, all the reft rife out thereof, thofe belowe 

 for the moft part being larger then thofe aboue ; yet all of them fomewhat long, flat, 

 and round pointed, of the thicknefle of a finger vf ually, and f malleft at the lower end, 

 where they are ioyned or fpring out of the other leaues, hauing at their firft breaking 

 out a mew of fmall, red, or browne prickes, thicke fet ouer all the vpper fide of the 

 leaues, but with vs falling away quickly, leauing onely the markes where they flood : 

 but they haue befides this mew of great prickes, a few very fine, and fmall, hard, white, 

 and fharpe, almoft infenfible prickes, being not fo bigge as haires on the vnderfide, 

 which will often fticke in their fingers that handle them vnaduifedly, neither are they 

 to be difcerned vnlefTe one look precifely for them : the leaues on the vnderfide hauing 

 none of thofe other great pricks or marks at all, being of a faire frefh pale green colour : 

 out of the vppermoft leaues breake forth certaine greene heads, very like vnto leaues 

 (fo that many are deceiued, thinking them to be leaues, vntill they marke them better, 

 and be better experienced in them) but that they growe round and not flat, and are 

 broad at the toppe ; for that out of the tops of euery of them fhooteth out a pale yel- 

 low flower, confifting of two rowes of leaues, each containing fiue leaues a peece, 

 kid open with certaine yellow threads, tipt with red in the middle : this greene head, 

 vntill the flower be paft, is not of halfe that bigneffe that it attaineth vnto after, yet 

 feldome or neuer commeth vnto perfection with vs, being long and round, like vnto a 

 Figge, fmall belowe, and greater aboue, bearing vpon the flat or broad head the marke 

 of the flower ; fome holding ftill on them the dryed leaues, and others hauing loft 

 them, mew the hollownefle which they haue in the toppe or middle of the head, the 

 fides round about being raifed or ftanding vp higher : this head or figge in our Coun- 

 try abideth greene on the outfide, and little or nothing reddifh within (although it a- 

 bide all the Winter, and the Summer following, as fometimes it doth) for want of 

 that heate and comfort of the Sunne it hath in his naturall place, where it groweth 



reddifh 



