THE 



ENGLISH PHYSICIAN 



ENLARGED. 



Amara Dulcis. ^ (h. d. 2.) 



CoNSTDEUiNG that different names are given to the same 

 herb indifferent parts of the country, and that the com- 

 mon name which it bears in one county is not knoAvn in 

 another ; great pains have here been taken to select all 

 the various names by Avhich each herb is distinguished. 



Besides Amara Dulcis, this is also called Mortal, Bitter- 

 sweet, Woody Night-shade, and Felon-wort. 



Descripf.'] It grows up with woody stalks even to a 

 man's height, and sometimes higher. The leaves fall oiF 

 at the approach of Winter, and spring out of the same 

 stalks at Spring-time. The branch is compassed about 

 with a whitish bark, and hath a pith in the middle of it. 

 The main branch divideth itself into many small ones 

 with claspers, laying hold on what is next to them, as 

 vines do. It bears many leaves, they grow in no order 

 at all, or at least in no regular order. The leaves are 

 longish, though somewhat broad, and pointed at the 

 ends : many of them have two little leaves growing at 

 the end of their foot-ftalk; some have but one, and some 

 none. The leaves are of a pale green colour ; the flow- 

 ers are of a purple colour, or of a perfect blue like 

 to violets, and they stand many of them together in 

 knots; the berries are green at first, but when they are 

 ripe they are very red ; if you taste them, you shall find 

 them just as the crabs which are in Sussex, called bitter 

 sweets, viz. sweet at first, and bitter afterwards. 



Place.l They grow commonly almost throughout Eng- 

 land, especially in moist and shady places. 



Time,'] The leaves shoot out about the latter end of 

 March if the temperature of the air be ordinary ; it fiovr- 

 ereth in Julj^, and the seeds are ripe soon after, usually 

 in the next month. 



B 



