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 ARsmart bringeth forth stalkes a cubit high, round, smooth, ioynted or kneed, diuiding themselues into sundry branches; whereon grow leaues like those of the Peach or of the Sallow tree. The floures grow in clusters vpon long stems, out of the bosome of the branches and leaues, and likewise vpon the stalkes themselues, of a white colour tending to a bright purple: after which commeth forth little seeds somewhat broad, of a reddish yellow, aud sometimes blackish, of an hot and biting taste, as is all the rest of the Plant, and like vnto pepper, whereof it tooke his name; yet hath it no smell at all.

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1 Hydropiper. Arsmart.

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2 Persicaria maculosa. Dead or spotted Arsmart.

2 Dead Arsmart is like vnto the precedent in stalkes, clustering floures, roots and seed, and differeth in that, that this plant hath certaine spots or marks vpon the leaues, in fashion of a halfe moone, of a darke blackish colour. The whole plant hath no sharpe or biting taste, as the other hath, but as it were a little soure smacke vpon the tongue. The root is likewise full of strings or threds, creeping vp and downe in the ground.

‡ 3 This in roots, leaues, and manner of growing is very like the first described, but lesser by much in all these 〈◊〉〈◊〉: the floures also are of a whitish, and sometimes of a purplish colour: it growes in barren grauelly and wet places.

4 I haue thought good to omit the impertinent description of our Author fitted to this plant, and to giue one somewhat more to the purpose: the stalkes of this are some two foot high, tender, greene, and sometimes purplish, hollow, smooth, succulent and transparent, with large and eminent ioynts, from whence proceed leaues like those of French Mercurie, a little bigger, and broader toward their stalkes, and thereabout also cut in with deeper notches: from the bosomes of each of these leaues come forth long stalkes hanging downewards, and diuided into three or foure branches; vpon which hang floures yellow, and much gaping, with crooked spurs or heeles, and spotted also with red or sanguine spots: after these are past succeed the cods, which containe the seed, and they are commonly two inches long, slender, knotted, and of a whitish greene colour, crested with greenish lines; and as soone as the seed begins to be ripe, they are so impatient that they will by no meanes be touched, but presently the seed will fly out of them into your face. And this is the cause that Lobel and others haue called this Plant Noli me tangere. As for the like reason some of late haue imposed the same name vpon the Sium minimum of Alpinus, formerly described by me in the seuenth place of the eighteenth chapter of this booke, pag. 260. ‡

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‡ 3 Persicaria pusilla repens. Small creeping Arsmart.

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4 Persicaria siliquosa. Codded Arsmart.