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

¶ The Description.

1 THe obscure description which Dioscorides and Pliny haue set downe for Phalangium, hath bred much contention among late Writers. This plant Phalangium hath leaues much like Couch Grasse, but they are somewhat thicker and fatter, and of a more whitish greene colour. The stalkes grow to the height of a cubit. The top of the stalke is beset with small branches, garnished with many little white flowers, compact of six little leaues. The threds or thrums in the middle are whitish, mixed with a faire yellow, which being fallen, there follow blacke seeds, inclosed in small round knobs, which be three cornered. The roots are many, tough, and white of colour.

2 The second is like the first, but that his stalke is not branched as the first, and floureth a moneth before the other.

3 The third kinde of Spiderwort, which Carolus Clusius nameth Asphodelus minor, hath a root of many threddy strings, from the which immediately rise vp grassie leaues, narrow and sharpe pointed: among the which come forth diuers naked strait stalkes diuided towards the top into sundry branches, garnished on euery side with faire starre-like flowers, of colour white, with a purple veine diuiding each leafe in the middest: they haue also certaine chiues or threds in them. The seed followeth inclosed in three square heads like vnto the kindes of Asphodils.

‡ 4 This Spiderwort hath a root consisting of many thicke, long, and white fibers, not much vnlike the precedent, out of which it sends forth some fiue or six greene and firme leaues, somewhat hollowed in the middle, and mutually inuoluing each other at the root: amongst these there riseth vp a round greene stalke, bearing at the top thereof some nine or ten floures, more or lesse; these consist of six leaues apiece, of colour white (the three innermost leaues are the broader, and more curled, and the three outmost are tipt with greene at the tops.) The whole floure much

resembles a white Lilly, but much smaller. Three square heads, containing a dusky and vnequall seed, follow after the floure.

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1 Phalangium Ramosum. Branched Spiderwort.

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2 Phalangium non ramosum. Vnbranched Spiderwort.

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† 3 Phalangium Cretae. Candy Spiderwort.

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‡ 4 Phalangium Antiquorum. The true Spiderwort of the Ancients.

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‡ 5 Phalangium Virginianum Trade∣scanti. Tradescants Virginian Spider∣wort.

5 This plant in my iudgement cannot be sitlier ranked with any than these last described; therefore I haue here giuen him the fifth place, as the last com∣mer. This plant hath many creeping stringy roots, which here and there put vp greene leaues, in shape re∣sembling those of the last described: amongst these there riseth vp a pretty stiffe stalke jointed, and hauing at each joint one leafe incompassing the stalke, and out of whose bosome oft times little branches arise: now the stalke at the top vsually diuides it selfe into two leaues, much after the manner of Cyperus; between which there come forth many floures consisting of three pretty large leaues a piece, of colour deepe blew, with reddish chiues tipt with yellow standing in their middle. These fading (as vsually they doe the same day they shew themselues) there succeed little heads couered with the three little leaues that sustained the floure. In these heads there is contained a long blac∣kish seed.