The Theater of 'Plants, 
Fs IBE.^, 
Chap. 103. 
hejoynts with the leaves, and acthe toppesalfo (land the flowers finglyineach fort, compofed of fix long and 
arro w yellow leaves hanging downe wards, in the middle whereof is a crooked head or home, compared with 
x yellow threds or chives; when the flower is pad, che footeftalke thereof rifeth up,bearing that crooked or 
lorned three fquare thicke skinny cod on the end, having whitifh feede within it; the roote is nothing fa 
ohicke or white as the eight, but faftned by many firings in the ground. 
II- Tolygonatum anguftifolium. Narrow leafed Salomon: Seale. 
: The narrow leafed Salomons Seale (hooteth forth divers upright llalkes, about a foote high, bending downe- 
hvardsat the toppes without any branches at all upon them, whereon (land at ieverall joyntsand (paces, foure 
■ir five and fometimes fix long and narrower greene leaves then they of the former, being fmootb and ribbed or 
null of veines: at the faid joynts with the leaves come forth two or three lhort ftalkes, with whitifh greene flow¬ 
ers artheendsofthemdikeuiito che firft, after which come round berries red when they are ripe, morepulpie 
ir j'uicie then the lad, conteining hard white kernells within them like the reft 1 the roore is tuberous like the for- 
> Tier ordinary forts,branching forth at the (ides like them. 
Ij. Polygonatum anguftifolium ramofum. Branched fmall Salomons Seale. 
I This (mall Salomons Seale is in mod things like the la(l, as in rootes, leaves, flowers and berries, the chiefeft 
difference confifleth in this, that ic branchech forth at every joynt on the maine llalke on both fides thereof, and 
diath the leaves fomewhat fmaller and narrower, yet fet in the lame manner, and the flowers fomewhac (mailer 
<lfo,(landing on (hort footeflalkes. 
The Place, 
| The firft is frequent in divers places of our Land, as be fide thofc that Gerard hath named, it growethin a 
wood two miles from Canterbury by Fifhpoole hill, as alfo in a btifhie Clofe belonging to the Perfonage of Al- 
Verberry neare Clarmdon, two miles from Salijbury, the next Clofe thereunto is called Sprites,mi in Cheffbn wood, 
pn fhejfon hilhbetweene Newington and Sittingburne in Kent : the other fix following it,and the two lad grow iff 
•Germany, Auftria, and the parts thereabout: the feventh was brought both out of Virginia and New-England, by 
i onic Marriners that had thought they had beene the Scarlet orKermes berries as I fayd before, from whofe feeds 
prang with me firfl, as I thinke in this kingdome, and brought fuch plants as 1 have expreffed in thedefeription : 
he eighth and tenth were brought from Camdaby the French ; the ninth groweth in Brafftd , and from thence 
jrought and communicated to 'll nubia w by D r . Burferus, 
The Time, 
They flower about and the Virginia,Brajftll and American Cons not untill lttne and Inly, the berries of the 
European forts are ripe in September,md continue on the (lalkes untill the (rolls rot the ftalkes, and they fall downe, 
ind perith with all above ground, the roote abiding fafe, and (hooting a new every yeare the Virginian fore » 
hath (uch red berries as are expreffed in the defeription, but it never bore berries in our Land that I Know of: 
but the other Americans beare berries about September, 
The Names. 
It is called in Greeke Ttitsiybxmr Polygonatum, and fo in Latine alfo, A rathe is geniculorum ftequentibus nodi*, of 
the miny nodesand knots in the roote : it is ufually called Sigillum Satamonis, forthecaufes fet downe in the 
defeription of the firfl:, and of fome Scalacceli. Ib ame s Monar dus tooke it to bee Sccacul of the Arabians, buc 
without all (hew ofreafon almoft: the Italians in fome places call it Polygcnato , and Ginochietto in others, and in 
Hetruria or Florence FraftineUa, but for whatrefpecl I know not,not having any likeneffeor affinitie with Frax- 
inm, from whence the name (houldbe derived, the French qemcoliereoC fom , and Sean, or Signet de Salomon 
of others • the Germant fVeijfiivurtz, id eft, radix alba, of the Thttch Salomons Segbel, and wee in Enylijb Salomons 
Seale mod ufually, but in fome countries the people call it Ladder to Heaven, according tothe^Latine name 
Scalacsli, which was anciently knowne in the Apothecaries (hoppes, from the forme of the llalke of leaves 
one being fet above another. The firft is called Polygonatum generally by all writers almoft, fome calling ic Lati- 
folium, tome majus and fome vulgar?, and fome SigillnmSalomonit. Anguilara.Csfalpius and Cafter Dttrantes 
following their owne country name, call it FraftineUa, confounding it with the ThSlamnm albut, which is cal¬ 
led FraxmeUa : the fccond is the firfl Polygonatum latifolium of Clufuu, which Camerarius in horto aWcth Polygo¬ 
natum Pamionicum, the third is Che flat his fecond Polygonatum latiore folio, which fordtts in his Hiftory of plants 
calleth Polygonatum angulefttm: the fourth is the third Polygonatum Latiore folio of C 7 »J:hj, which Baukmut calleth 
Polygonatum latifolium Ellebori albifolijr.the lift Bauhintts in his Pinax and Prodromtts calleth TolyyondtulatifoliZ 
minus flore majore. The fixe is diverfly called ; Lfllatthiolut fetceth it forth for Lanrus Alexandria, w horn Came- 
rarnu cmtbmiCluftM reproveth in chat itanfwereth not thereunto, asyoulhall heare more amply in the next 
Chapter, both by the defeription and explication. lokxnncs Mollinem that fet forth the great Hcrball of Dale- 
champittt generally called, Lugdunenfts,tsketb it to be Nippogloftum of Diofcorides ■ whom Cluftus alfo taxeth for 
it, fhewing that howfoever the Text of Ditjcondes (if corrupted) be amended, yet this cannot be-it, becaufeic 
Wantech chofe liguls fmall tongues,that are growing upon the leaves oCHypogl'ftum, as you (hall beare by and by, 
and that this is not perpetually greene as the Hypoghjfum, but dyeth downe to the roote every ^eare, (hooting 
footh new ftalkes in the Spring, and therefore C/uftm faith that it cannot be better referred then unto the kinds 
of Polygonatum, unleffe as he faith it might be the Idea radix of Diofceridcs, w her din as he faith becaufe he is fo 
briefe,nothing canbeaffirmed for ccrtaine ; yet I certainely thinke it anfwereth ,-very fitly thereunto, both in 
face an ■ vertues : Lo6r/callech it in his obfervations Polygonato AJftnis planta, and tffalpinw Rufco afftnis tertia , 
CcrWhath two figures hereof,and two deferiptions, as if they were two feverall plants,which are his fourth and 
SH, by the name of Polygonatumramofum,2nd acutum, the one being the figure of CMatthiohu his Laurm Alex¬ 
andria, and the other of Clufm, for they expreffe but one plant, no other diverfitie thereof to bee found that I 
can learne, Bauhinw calleth it Polygonatum latifolium ramofum \ the feventh is as l fayd of mine ownenurfing 
and namingtthe eighch and tenth are fo called by Cornutus as they are in the tides: che ninth Bauhinm in his Pinax 
and Prodromus calleth Tolygonatnm latifolium perfoliatttm Brafi 'lianum : the eleventh is called Polygonatum minus 
by divers, and generally Polygonatum anguftifolium, and tenuifohum by all others. Thaliw calleth' this Polygona- 
tum tenuifolium majus, as he doth the lall tenuifoltum minus, which Ciuftut and Bauhimuc all Tolyyonatum angtt- 
ftifilittm ramofum. 
Ooo % 
7 hi 
