The herball or Generall historie of plantes. Gathered by Iohn Gerarde of London Master in Chirurgerie very much enlarged and amended by Thomas Iohnson citizen and apothecarye of London

About this Item

Title
The herball or Generall historie of plantes. Gathered by Iohn Gerarde of London Master in Chirurgerie very much enlarged and amended by Thomas Iohnson citizen and apothecarye of London
Author
Gerard, John, 1545-1612.
Publication
London :: Printed by Adam Islip Ioice Norton and Richard Whitakers,
anno 1633.
Rights/Permissions

To the extent possible under law, the Text Creation Partnership has waived all copyright and related or neighboring rights to this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above, according to the terms of the CC0 1.0 Public Domain Dedication (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/). This waiver does not extend to any page images or other supplementary files associated with this work, which may be protected by copyright or other license restrictions. Please go to http://www.textcreationpartnership.org/ for more information.

Subject terms
Botany -- Pre-Linnean works -- Early works to 1800.
Botany, Medical -- Early works to 1800.
Gardens -- England -- Early works to 1800.
Link to this Item
http://name.umdl.umich.edu/A01622.0001.001
Cite this Item
"The herball or Generall historie of plantes. Gathered by Iohn Gerarde of London Master in Chirurgerie very much enlarged and amended by Thomas Iohnson citizen and apothecarye of London." In the digital collection Early English Books Online. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/A01622.0001.001. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed May 24, 2025.

Pages

¶ The Description.

1 THe greatest of the Goats stones bringeth forth 〈◊〉〈◊〉 leaues, ribbed in some sort like vnto the broad leaued Plantaine, but larger: the stalke groweth to the height of a cu∣bit, set with such great leaues euen to the top of the stalke by equall distances. The tuft or bush of floures is small and flat open, with many tender strings or laces comming from the middle part of those small floures, crookedly tangling one with another, like to the small tendrels of the Vine, or rather the laces or strings that grow vpon the herbe Sauorie. The whole floure consisteth of a purple colour. The roots are like the rest of the Orchides, but greater.

2 The male Goats stones haue leaues like to those of the garden Lilly, with a stalke a foot long, wrapped about euen to the tuft of the floure with those his leaues. The floures which grow in this bush or tuft be very small, in forme like vnto a Lizard, because of the twisted or writhen tailes, and spotted heads. Euery of these small floures is at the first like a round close huske, of the bignesse of a pease, which when it openeth there commeth out of it a little long and tender spurre or taile, white toward the setting of it to the floure, the rest spotted with red dashes, hauing vpon each side a small thing adioyning vnto it, like to a little leg or foot; the rest of the said taile is twisted crookedly about, and 〈◊〉〈◊〉 downward. The whole plant hath a 〈◊〉〈◊〉 or stinking smel or sauour like the smell of a Goat, whereof it tooke his name.

3 The female Goats stones haue leaues like the male kinde, sauing that they be much smal∣ler, hauing many floures on the tuft resembling the flies that feed vpon flesh, or rather ricks. The stones or roots, as also the sinell are like the former.

Page 210

[illustration]
1 Tragorchis maximus. The greatest Goat stones.
[illustration]
2 Tragorchis mas. The male Goat stones.
[illustration]
3 Tragorchis foemina. The female Goats stones.
[illustration]
‡ 4 Tragorchis minor Bataulca. The small Goat stones of Holland.

Page 211

‡ 4 This also because of the vnpleasant smell may sitly be referred to this Classis. The roots hereof are small, and from them arise a stalke some halfe a foot high, beset with three or foure nar∣row leaues: the tuft of floures which groweth on the top of this stalke is small, and the colour of them is red without, but somewhat paler within; each floure hanging downe a lippe parted in three. ‡

Do you have questions about this content? Need to report a problem? Please contact us.