4 -i 8 Of the Hiftory of Plants. Lib. i. 
which being paft there appeare triangle hushes or buttons wherein is the feed. The root is as it 
were a great tuftofthreds or thrums. 
$ 2 This plant in his roots and leaues is like the laft defcribed,as alfo in the ftalke, but much 
Idle in each of them, the ftalke being about fome foot high ; at the top whereof hand many pretty 
ftarre-Iike skinny feed-veffcls, containing a yellowifh feed* $ 
3 The fecond kinde hath long, little, and narrow leaues, much like the Plantaine called Rib- 
woort : among which rife vp fmall and feeble ftalks branched at the top, whereon are placed white, 
floures, confiding of three {lender leaues h which being fallen, there come to your view round 
knobs, or rough burs : the root is threddy. 
The Place. 
i This Kerbe growes about the brinkes of riuers, ponds and ditches almoft euery where. 
t 2 ; Thefe are more rare. I found’ the fecond a little beyond Ilford, in the way to 'Rum- 
ford, and M r . Goodyer found it alfo growing vpon Hounflow heath. I found the third in the 
Company of M r . William Broad, and M r . Lennar d Buckner, in a ditch on this fide Margate in the 
Ifle of Tenet. $ 
«(] The Time. 
They flonre from Iune till Auguft. 
f^The Names. 
Thefirft kinde is called Plantago aquatifa, that is, water Plantaine. t The fecond Lobcll calls 
i_ Alifmapy.fillttm Angufii folium rmtricaum,iX\d in the H.ft.Lugd. it is called Damafonium ftellatum. $ 
The third is named Plantago aquaria bumilisjhat is, the low water Plantaine. 
^ 1 thinke it fit here to reftore this plant to his antient.dignitie,that is, his names and titles 
wherewith hewas anciently dignified by Dto/corides and Pliny. The former whereof calls it by 
fundry names, and all very figmficant and proper,as»‘»(«»>n»,mra W rf»,‘ 1 yi»£>aJiv,A")^ , »f i thus many are 
Greek, and therefore ought not to be reie£ted,asthcy haue been by fome withouteither reafon 
orauthoritie. For the barbarous names we can fay nothing ; now it is faid to be called Limonimn^ 
becaufe « it growes in wet orouertlovven medovves : it is called Neuroides, becaufe the 
leafe iscompofed o'f diners firings or fibres running from the one end thereof to the other, as in 
Plantain, which therfore by Diofiondes is termed by the fame reafon ■ Alfo it may be as fitly 
termed Lonchitis for the fimilitude which the leafe hath to the top or head of a lance which 
asm? properly fignifies, as that other plant deferibed by Diof. lib. q.cap. i < 5 1 . for that the feed (a 
lefle eminent part) refembles the fame thing. And for Potamogctton which fignifies a neighbour 
totheRiueror water, I thinke it loues the water afwell, and is as neerea neighbour to it as that 
which takes it’s name from thence, and is deferibed by Dio/corides, lib. 4. cap. 101. Now to come 
to Pliny, lib. 20. cap. %. he calls it, Beta fuvefirit, Limomonymd Neitrotdes : the two later namesare 
out of Diofcoridts, and I fhallfliew you where alfo you fhallfinde the former in him. Thus much 
I thinke might ferue for the vindication of my affertion, for I dare boldly atfirme that no late wri- 
ter can fit aU thefe names to any other plant, and that makes me more to wonder that all our late 
Herbarifts as Matthiolus, Dodonaus, Fachfius, Ctefalpims, Dalefeb.mpius, but aboue all PeB.iand 
Lobelia ho ^Aduerf.pag. 12 6. call it to queftion, fhould not allow this plant to be Limoniumjzt pe- 
cially feing that Anguillara had before or in their time alferted it fotobe ; but whether he gaue 
any reafons or no for his alfertion,I cannor tell, becaufe I could neuer by any meanes get his Opi- 
nions, but only finde by Banhine his Pinax that fuch was his opinion hereof. But to returne from 
whence I digreft, I will giueyou Diofcoridcs his defcription,and a briefe explanation thereof, and 
fbdefift ; it is thus : It hath leaues like a Beef, thinner and larger, 1 o. or more ; a ftalke flender, 
ftraight,and as tall as that of a Lilly, and full of fdsof an aftringent tafte. The leaues of this 
you fee are larger than thofe ofa Beet.and thin., , „ J I formerly told you in the names, neruous ; 
which to be lb may be plainely gathered by £> - '« his words in the defeription of white 
Hellebore, whole leaues he compares tot! - of P nr, tine and the tvilde Beet : now there is 
no wild Beet mentioned by any of the Ant i^but only this by Pliny in the place formerly quo- 
ted, nor no leafe more fit to compare thofe 01 delleb ore to, than thofe of water Plantaine, 
efpecially for the nerues and fibres that tunalo thelc; ties, the ftalke alfo of this is but flender 
confidering the height, and it growes ftraighr.andas high as that of a Lilly, with the topplenti- 
rifully doted with aftringent feed ; fo thar no one note is wanting in this, nor fcarfe any to be 
found in the other plants that many haue of Jate fet forth for Limonium. t 
The Nature. 
Water Plantaine is cold and dry of temperature. 
IT 
