7 be (far den of plea) ant Flowers, 
Chai. CXXXIII. 
Gramina. Grades. 
T Hereareamong an infinite number (as I may fo fay) of Graffes, a fewonely 
which I thinke fit to be planted in this Garden , both for the rarity of them, 
and alfo for your delight, and the excellent beauty that is in them aboue ma- 
ny other plants. One of them hath long agoe bin refpedled,and chcrifned in the coun- 
try gardens of many Gentlewomen, and othcrs.Thc others are knownc but vnto a few. 
i. Granen firiatum. Painted GrafTe or Ladies laces. 
This kinde of GrafTe hath many ftiffe, hard, round ftalkes, full of ioynts , whereon 
are fet at euery ioynt one long leafe, fomewhat broad at the bottome , where it com- 
paffeth the flalke, and fmaller to the end, where it is fharpe pointed, hard or rough in 
handling, and ftriped all the length of the leafe with white ftreakes or lines , that they 
feerae parry coloured laces of white and greene: the tops of the ftalkes arefurnifhed 
with long fpikic rufcs,likc vnto the tufts of Couch GrafTe : the rootes arc fmall, white 
and threddy, like the rootes of other Graffes. 
a. Gramen Plumarium minus. The leffer Fcath er- G raffe. 
This 1 effer Feather-Graffc hath many fmall, round, and very long leaues or blades, 
growing in tufts, much finer and fmaller then any other Grade that I know , being al- 
moftlike vnto haires, and of a frefh greene colour in Summer, but changing into gray, 
like old hay in Winter, being indeede all dead , and neuer reuiuing ; yet hardly to be 
plucked away vntill the Spring,and then other greene leaues or rufhes rife vp by them, 
and in their ftcad, and are aboue a foote in length: from the middle of thefe tufts come 
forth rounder and bigger rufhes, which are the ftalkes, and which haue a chaffie round 
earc about the middle thereof, which when it is full growne, is fomewhat higher then 
the toppes of the leaues or rufhes, opening ic felfe (being before clofe) at the top , and 
fhewing forth three or foure long ay les or beards, one aboue another, which bend 
themfelues a little downewards (if they (land ouer long before they are gathered, and 
will fall off, and be blowneaway with thewinde) being fo finely feathered on both 
fides, all the length ofthe beard, and of a pale or grayifh colour, that no feather in the 
taile ofthe Bird of Paradifc can be finer, or to be compared with them, hauing flicking 
at the end of euery one of them, within the eare, a fmall, long, whitifh, round, hard 
and very flnrpe pointed graine, like vnto an oaten graine, that part ofthe flalke of the 
feather that is next vnder it, and aboue the feede for fome two orthree inches, being 
ftiffe and hard, and twining or curling it felfe, if it be fuffered to (land too long’, or to 
fall away , otherwife being ftraight as the feather it felfe :thc roote is compoYed of 
many long, hard, fmall threddy firings, which runne deepcand far, and willnot wil- 
lingly be remoued, in that it gaineth ftrength euery yeare by Handing. 
3. Gramen Plumarium mains. The greater Feather-Graffe. 
The greater Feather- GrafTe is like vnto the leffer, but that both the leaues and the 
feathers are greater, and nothing fo fine, groffer alfo, and of leffe beauty and rcfpetf 
though whiter then it } and therefore is not fo much regarded : for I haue knowne that 
many Gentlewomen hauevfcd the former leffer kinde, being tycd in tufts, to fet them 
in (lead of feathers about their beds, where they haue lyen after childe-bearing, and at 
other times alfo,when as they haue been much admired of the Ladies and Gentles that 
haue come to vide them. 
The Place. 
The firft of thefe Graffes,as Lobcl faith, groweth naturally in the woods 
and hils of Sauoy. It hath long agoe bccnc receiued into our Englilh gar- 
dens. 
