Chap. 1X. EEO RA 
Tulipa preecox, media; es ferotina. 
a e early, middle, and later flowering Tulip, {pringeth out of the 
4 ground, with leaves folded one within another, which opening 
by degrees become broad, thick, long ahd hollow, turning up the 
edges, and holding water falling thereon; they are commonly three 
innumber, but fometimes in old-rooted Plants four or five, of a 
whitith green colour, with whiter edges, efpecially in thofe of the 
Precoces, whereby they may be known from the other forts, whofe 
leaves are of afrefher green, the ftalk withthe flower cometh upin 
the middle of the leaves, which do rife therewith, and compafsit at 
certain unequal diftances; many of the Pracoces bending to the 
ground; but before they flower, drawn by the Sun, ftand upright as 
allthe reft do, the ftalks of the Precoces are commonly not abovea 
foot high, and many of them much lower, but thofe of the Med/as 
and Serotinas far higher : they all bear ufually but one flower on a 
ftalk, which ftandeth upright , in fafhion like unto.a Ly , compo- 
fed of fix leaves, green at the firft and:clofed , which warmed by the 
Sun, open and change into divers feveral glorious colours, varioufl 
mixed, edged, ftriped, feathered, garded, agotted, marbled, flaked, 
or fpecled, even to admiration ; the leaves of fome of them being 
round pointed, of others fharp, and in fome three of one fafhion and 
three of the other * The colour of the bottoms and Tamis, efpeci- 
ally in the Mediums and Serotinas, doth alfo notably differ from each 
other ; for in fome they will be white, yellow, or ftraw-colour ; and 
in others blew, black, or purple, deeper or lighter , fome of. thefe 
flowers are {weeter than others, and many of them have little or no 
{cent atall: in the middle of the flower ftandeth along green head, 
commonly three {quare (whichis the Seed-veffel) compafled about 
with fix chives, tipt with pendents (which are thofe after the French 
~-wecall Tamis) in colour ufually anfwerable to rhat of the bottom, 
whick often changeth, for when ared, or purple flower, with a blew, 
or other dark-coloured bottom and Tamismarketh well with white, 
the bottom will be white alfo,:the bottom running up. into-the 
leaves, which isa prime caufe of the well marking thereof , but the 
T amis remain without alteration, whereby the fowet may be known 
through all che various mutations thereof, the rule holding certain ia 
moft of the beft howers, After the leaves of the flower are faln, the 
head or aced- vetlel eeatie biger, rounder, and longer, containing 
ufually fix rows of flat, thin, brown, griftly Seeds Theroots are 
fome rounder and bigger than others, fharp.at the upper end, and 
in thofe roots that will bear flowers, either forked, or fhewing two 
points to put forth two leaves, but in fuch as will not bear, but one : 
the bottom is big and round, with a little woolly eminence on the one 
fide thereof, from whence the Fibres come forth, on the other 
fide in fuch roots as have born flowers , there is.a hollow chanel 
where the ftalk grew, which yearly fhifteth from fide to fide, arifing 
immediately from that eminence which is in the bottom of every 
root, but more in fome than ak Thefe roo:s are. compofed cf 
