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 June 7, 2025.

Pages

¶ The Description.

1 THe Orpyn with purple floures is lower and lesser than the common Orpyn: the stalkes be slenderer, and for the most part lie along vpon the ground. The leaues are also thin∣ner and longer, and of a more blew greene, yet well bodied, standing thicker below than aboue, confusedly set together without order: the floures in the tufts at the tops of the stalks be of a pale blew tending to purple. The roots be not set with lumpes or knobbed kernels, but with a multi∣tude of hairy strings.

2 This second Orpyn, as it is knowne to few, so hath it found no name, but that some Herba∣rists do call it Telephium sempervivum or virens: for the stalkes of the other do wither in winter, the root remaineth greene; but the stalkes and leaues of this endure also the sharpenesse of Winter; and therefore we may call it in English, Orpyn euerlasting, or Neuer-dying Orpyn. This hath lesser and rounder leaues than any of the former: the floures are red, and 〈◊〉〈◊〉 root fibrous.

‡ 3 Clusius receiued the seeds of this from Ferranto Imperato of Naples, vnder the name of

Page 520

[illustration]
1 Telephium floribus purpureis. Purple Orpyn.
[illustration]
2 Telephium semper-virens. Neuer-dying Orpyn.
[illustration]
‡ 2 Telephium legitimum Imperati. Creeping Orpyn.
Telephium legitimum; and he hath thus giuen vs the history thereof: It produces from the top of the root many branches spred vpon the ground, which are about a foot long, set with many leaues, especially such as are not come to floure; for the other haue fewer: these leaues are smaller, lesse thicke also and succulent than those of the former kindes, neither are they so brittle: their colour is green, inclining a little to blew: the tops of the branches are plentifully stored with little floures growing thicke together, and composed of fiue little white leaues apiece: which fading, there suc∣ceed cornered seed-vessels full of a brownish seed. The root is sometimes as thicke as ones little finger, tough, white, diuided into some branches, and liuing many yeares. ‡

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