832, Of the Hiftory of Plants. 
Lib. 2. 
ftretched or broken afur.dcr, there appearetfi 
the fruit, like to a bunch or clufter of grapes 5 
the berries whereof attheiirftbe grcene, af- 
terwards red and full of iuyce ; in which isi 
contained feed that is fomewhat hard : The 
root continueth frefh, thicke, like to a knob: 
white,couered with a uhin pilling, oftentimes 
of the bignelfe ofa meanc apple, full of wliite 
little threds appendant thereunto. 
2 The letter Dragon is like Aron orwakej 
Robin, in leaues, hofe, or huske, peftell , and; 
berries, yet arc not the leaues fprinkled with 1 
blacke but with whitifh fpots, which perifhj 
notfofooneas thofe of wake- Robin, but en-t 
dure together with the berries euen vntihvin-i 
ter : thefe berries alfo be not of a deepe ted^ 
but ofa colour enclining to Saffron. The root: 
isnotvnlike to the Cuckow-pint, hauing thei 
forme of a bulbe, full of firings , with diuersi 
rude fhapes of new plants, whereby it greatly 
encreafeth. 
t The figure which our Au’thonr hccro 
gaue by the title of Drstcuntium minus-, was no . 
other than of Aron, which is defcribed in the: 
firft place of the next chapter: neither is the: 
defcription of any other plant, than of that 
fort thereof which hath leaues fpotted either 
with white or blacke fpots, though our Au- 
thor fay onely with white. I haue giuen yotn 
Clujius his figure of Arum ByTantinum, in Head of that which our Author gaue. i 
3 The root ofwater Dragon is not round like a bulbe, but very long, creeping , and ioynted, 
and of rneane bigneffe ; out of the ioynts whereof arife the flalkes of the leaues, which are round, 
fmooth, and fpongie within, and there grqw downevvards certaine white and {lender firings. The 
fruit fprings forth at the top vpon a fhort ftalke, together with one of the leaues, being at the be- 
ginning coucred with little white thredn, which are in Read of the floures: after that it groweth 
into a bunch or clufter, ar the firft grcene, and when it is ripe, red, lefTer than that of Cuckow-pint, 1 
but not leffe biting : the leaues are broad, greenifh, glib, and fmooth, in Fafliion like thofe of Iuy, 
yet leffer than thofe of Cuckow-pint ; and that thing whereunto the cluttered fruit growes is alfo. 
Idler, and in that part which is towards the fruit (that is to fay the vpper part) is white. 
4 The great Dragon of CMatthwlus his defcription is a ftranger not onely in England, but 
elfewhere for any thing that we can learne: my felfe haue diligently enquired of mod ftrangers I 
skilfull in plants, that haue reforted vnto me for conference fake, but no man can giue me any cer- 
taintie thereof; and therefore I thinke it amifle to giuc you his figure or any defcription, for that 1 
I take it for a feigned picture. 
* The Pi nee. 
The greater and the letter Dragons are planted in gardens. The water Dragons grow in watery 
and marifh places, for the moil part in fenny and (landing waters. 
«[J TheTime. 
The berries of thefe plants are tipe in Autumne. 
^ Tie Names . 
The Dragon is called in Greeke in Latine, Dracunculus. The greater is named Serpen- \ 
Ur'ui motor .-of fome, Bifaria^ndCohtlrina : Corpus qa.IIcth it Dracunculus Polyphyllos,a.vA Luph(Pri.\ 
fium : in high-Dutch, §>Cl)langenfet<1Ut: in Iow-Durch, f^ptcABOltCle: in French, Serpcnuire 
in Italian, Dr agent u in Spanifh, Taravontea •• in Englifh, Dragons, and Dragon-wort. Apide'ml 
calleth Dragon Dracontea, and fetteth downe many flrange names thereof, which whether they a- 
gree with the greater or the letter, or both of them, he doth not expound •• as Pp Ionian , Ancl-oma- 
nes, Sauchromaton , Therion, S chasnos ,D orceidten ,Typhonion ,7 heriophonor. ,anu hs/iinion.Athenaus fhew-' 
eth, that Dragon is called Aronia, becaufe it is like to Aron. 
«[ The Temperature. 
Dragon, as Galen faith, hath a cerraine'likenefle with t^fronor wake-Robin, both in leaues, and 
a Ho in root, yet more biting and more bitter than ir,and therefore hotter, and of thinner partsrit isi| 
X Dracunculus aquations. 
Water Dragons. 
