78 SYLVA FLORIFERA. 



1597, that " this plant groweth naturally in 

 the moyst and shadowie woods of most of the 

 East countries, especially about Elbing, which 

 we call Meluin, in Polande ; from whence I 

 have had great plentie thereof for my garden, 

 where they flower, flourish, and bring their 

 fruit to maturitie." This author calls it 

 " Spurge Flaxe, or DwarfFe Bay," which he 

 says " the Dutchmen call Mezereon, and 

 the English, Dutch Mezereon ; but we," he 

 adds, " had rather call it Chamelcea Ger- 

 manica" Parkinson gives it this latter name 

 with the addition of that of mezereon, in his 

 work on plants, entitled " the Garden of 

 Pleasant Flowers," which was published in 

 1629 ; and in his larger work of 1640, he re- 

 tains the same name, calling it also Flowering 

 Spurge ; and he says " it grows naturally in 

 Germanie ; " but that the Spurge laurel 

 grows wild in England. It was never disco- 

 vered by the indefatigable Ray, or his imme- 

 diate successors in this country. 



Miller was the first author who mentions 

 the mezereon as a native of this country; and 

 which was not until about 240 years after it 

 had been introduced by Gerard. Miller con- 

 sidered it indigenous to our soil, because it 

 had been found growing near Andover, in 

 Hampshire. It has since been found by Mr. 



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