Of the Hiftorie of Plants. 
84.^ 
Lib. 3. 
higher,and longer than either the long or the round:the leaues thereof be greater than tliofe of A fa. 
rabacca -, the floures hollow, long, and in one fide hanging ouer,of a yellowiib colourithe fruit is lono- 
and round like a peare, in which the feeds lie feuered,of forme three fquare, of an ill fauored biac- 
k i ill colonrithe root is fomewhat long, oftentimes of a mean thickneffe, yellow like to the colour of 
Box,not inferior in bitternelfe either to the long or to the round Birthwoort : and fometimes thefe 
are found to be fmall and (lender, and that is when they were but lately digged vp and gathered -lor 
by the little parcels of the roots which are left, the young plants bring forth at the beginning ten- 
der and branched roots. ° 
5 Small Birthwoort is like to the long and round Birthwoort both in ftalkes and leaxies, yet is 
it Idler and tenderer : the leaues thereof are broad,and like thofe of Iuie : the floureis long, hollow 
in the vpper part , and on the outfide blackilh : the fruit fomerhing round like the fruit of round 
Birthwoort : in dead of roots there grow forth a multitude of llender firings. 
t 6 Pijlolochia Cretica fine y irginiana. Virginian Snake-root. 
t 6 Clufitu figures and deferibes another final p Mocha by the name of Pifiolocha Cretica , to 
which I thought good to adde the Epithite yirginiajaito, foi that the much admired Snakeweed 
ofVirginia feems no otherwife to differ from it tharian inhabitant of Candy from one of the Vir- 
ginians, which none I thinke will fay to differ in ffecie. twill firft giue Clufuts his defcription,and 
then expreffe the little varietie that I haueobferued in the plants that were brought from Virgi- 
nia, and grevv here with vs: it fends forth many flender ftalks a foot long, more or lelTe,and thefe are 
cornered or indented,crefted, branched, tough, and bending towards the ground, or fpred thereon, 
and ofa darke green colour : vpon which without order grow leaues, neruous, and like thofe of rhe 
Iaft defcribed,yet much fharper pointed, and after a fort refembling the lhape of thofe of Smilnx 
ajpera j but lc(Te,and of a darke and lafting greene colour, faftened to longilh ftalkes . out ofwhofe 
bofomes grow longand hollow crooked floures, in fhape like thofe of the long Birthwoort, but 
of a darker red on the outfide, but fomewhat yellowifh within : and thefe are alfo faftened to pret- 
ty long ftalks ; and they are fuccceded by fruit,not vnlike,yet Idle than that of the long Birthvvort. 
This hath abundance of roots, like as theformer,but much fmaller,and more fibrous, andof a ftron- 
ger fmell. It floures in Inly and Auguft. Thus Clufus deferibes his,to which that Snakeweed that 
was brought from Virginia, and grew with M'. IohnTradefcantat South-Lambetb, An. 1632. was 
agreeable in all points, but here and there one ofthe lower leaues were fomwhat broader and roun- 
der pointed than the teft: the floure was long, red, crooked,and a little hairie, and it did not open 
the top, or fhew the inneiajjde,which I iudge was by reafon of the coldnelTe and vnfeafonablenefle 
of the later part of the SoV mer when it floured : the ftalks in the figure fhouldhaue been exprdl 
more crooking or indenting, for they commonly grow fo.How hard it is to iudge ofplants by one 
P articlc ° r facultie may very well appeare by this herbe I now treat of: for fome by the fimiiitude 
the root had with A farum, and a vomiting qualitie which they attributed to it (which certainly is 
no other than accidehtal!)vvould forthwith pronounce and maintaine itan Afarum: fomealfo refer 
ittoother things, as toPrimrofes,k/»« 7 <w/rw»,&c. Others morewarily named it Serpent aria Virgi- 
ttiana, and Radix Firginia, ia,namcsas itwere offering themfeluesand eafilyto befitted and impofed 
vpon fundry tlungs ; bur yet too generall,and therefore not fit any more to be vfed, feeing; the true 
and fpecifick denomination is found. t 
The Place. 
P inf fheweth,that the Birthwoorts grow in fat and champion places, the fieldes of Spaine are 
full 
