j^g Of the Hiftorie of Plants. Lib. i. 
the middle of the floure is poflefled by another little floure, confi fling alfo of fix little leaues,ha- 
uinginthem fix threads headed with yellow, and a white pointall. A blacke wrinkled feed is 
contained in three cornered heads, which by reafon of their bigneiTe weigh downe the ftalke.This 
floures in Aprill. t 
$ 8 Ornithogalum fpicatum. t 9 OrnithogdumNcapolitamm. 
Spike falhioned Star-flonre. The Neapolitan Star-floure. 
If The Vince. 
Stars ofBethlehem, or Star-floures,efpecially the firft and fecond, grow in fundry places that 
lie open to the aire, not onely in Germany and the Low-countries, but alio in England, and in our 
gardens very common, rile yellow kin.de Eebel! found in Somerfet-fhire in thecorne fields. The 
reft are ftrangers in England • yet we haue moft of them, as the third, fourth, eighth, and ninth, in 
fome of our choice gardens. 
• The Time. 
Thefe kindes of bulbed plants do floure from Aprill to the end of May. 
q; The Names. 
Touching the names, Viofcorides calls it 'o^v^ao> P/bry, Ornithogde ■ in high Dutch it is called 
bribe!, victim tioibcl ; as you fhould fay, Cep a age an a : in Englifh, Stars ot Bethlehem. 
X The reft are named in their titles and hiftory ; but Chiftics queftionswherherthePK/tew«- 
foleus benot BulbincotTheophraftus, 7. hifl. 13. Bauhinus feemes to affirme the Spicatmn to be 
CWoly of Viofcorides and T heophrajlus, and Epimedium of Pliny. 
The Nature. 
Thefe are temperate in heate and drinefle. 
■j TheVertues. 
A The vertues of moft of them are vnknowne ; yet Hieronymus Tragus writeth, That the root of the 
' Star ofBethlehem rofted inhotembers, and applied with honey in manner of a Cataplafme or 
pultefle, healeth old eating vlcers, and fbftens anddifeuifes hard tumors. 
The roots, faith Viofcorides, are eaten both raw andboyled. 
+- Th« which was ihc fecond of our ft'thor. voder the title of C f* W‘"‘i “ d ,hc vndtr Omtbcfalm hum werefigures of the fome plant.bot in the la- 
rcr,a$ fist«fc;«fobfctncs,thcbouomclcaucsaic omitted, bccaufc they fall away when asic isgrovrnevp to floure. f 
