L i b. 2, Of the Hiftory of Plants.’ 
5^7 
to defcribe Polygonum Scrpillifoho of Pena ; as maybe gathered by the defcription which fliould 
haue flood, but that I opportunely rcceiued a better from my oft mentioned friend M', Goodycr 
which therefore I thought good to impart vnto you* ' " 
This hath many fraall round fmooth wooddy branches, fomewhat reddifh, trailing vpon the 
ground, nine inches or a foot long ; whereon By fmall diftances on fhort ioynts grow tufts of very 
fmall fhort blunt topped fmooth greene leaues, in a maner round, like thofe of the fmalleft Time 
but much fmailer, and without fined, diiiidihgthemfelues at the bofomes of thofe leaues into 
fmall branches - at the tops of which branches grow fmall floures, one floure on a branch, and no 
more, confiding of foure little round topped leaues apiece of a flint or pale purplifh colour : I ob- 
feruedno feed. Theroot is wooddy, blackifh without, very bitter, with fome tafte of heate, and 
groweth d cepe into the ground. The leaues are nothing fo full of iuyee as Aizoon. I found itflou- 
ring the third day of September, 1 621, on the ditch bankes at Burfeldon ferrey by the fea fdein 
Hampfhire. Io. Goodycr. f 
4 Among the Knot- graffes may well be futed this fmall plant, but lately written of, and not 
fo commonly knowneas growing in England, being 4b out an handfitll high, and putting out from 
a fibrous root fundry (lender ftalkes full of little branches and ioynts : about which grow confu- 
fedly many narrow leaues, for themoft part of an vnequall quantitie, yet here and there two longer 
than the reft, and much alike in greatnefle : at the outmoft parts of the branches and ftalks (where 
it hath thickeft tufts) appeare out of the middeft of the leaues little floures of an herby colour, 
which are fucceeded by feed-veflels ending in fine fharpe points : the whole plant is of a ivhitifli 
colour. If my memorie faileme not, Pena means this herbe where he fpeaketh of Saxijr.AngL 
in his Aduer. p. 10;. and alfo reporteth that he found this plant by the way fide as he rode from 
London to Briftow, on a little hill not far from Chipnam : his picture doth very well refemble the 
kindeof Knot-grafle calledamong the Germanes iin<tU3Cl t and calling it Saxijraga Angticana cau- 
feth me to thinke, that fome in the Weft parts where he found it do call it Saxifrage, as we do call 
fundry other herbes, efpecially if they ferue for the ftone. My friend M r . Stephen Eredwcl, Practi- 
tioner ofphyficke in thofe parts, heard ofa fimple man who did much good with a medicine that 
he made with Parlley Piert againft the ftone, which hemimftredvnto all forts of people.This my 
friend requefted the poore man to (liew him the herbe called Parfley Piert ; who frankly promifed 
it him, and thenext morning brought him anhandfull of the herbe, and told him thecompofiti- 
onofhis medicine ivithall, which you fhall findefetdownein thevertues, and proued by fundry 
ofgood account to be a fingularremedie fot the fame. 
t 5 Saxifraga Anglic Ann itl fine folia. f g Saxifraga paluftris alfmefilia. 
f'' It 1 \nre*r*A "Rr/a-il-o o .. _ 1 1 . . .. r _ • r 
Polygonum alterum pufi/lo vermiculuto Serpilli foliolo Pena. 
Small water Saxifrage. 
