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 Indian Sun or the golden floure of Peru is a plant of such stature and talnesse that in one Sommer being sowne of a seede in Aprill, it hath risen vp to the height of four∣teene soot in my garden, where one floure was in 〈◊〉〈◊〉 three pound and two ounces, and crosse ouerthwart the floure by measure sixteene inches broad. The stalkes are vpright and straight, of the bignesse of a strong mans arme, beset with large leaues euen to the top, like vnto the great Clot Bur: at the top of the stalke commeth 〈◊〉〈◊〉 for the most part one floure yet many times there spring out sucking buds, which come to no perfection: this great floure is in shape like to the Cammomil floure, beset round about with a pale or border of goodly yellow leaues, in shape like the leaues of the floures of white Lillies: the middle part whereof is made as it were of vn∣shorn veluet, or some curious cloth wrought with the needle, which braue worke; if you do thorow∣ly view and marke well, it seemeth to be an innumerable sort of small floures, resembling the nose or nozell of a candlesticke, broken from the foot thereof: from which small nozell sweateth forth excellent fine and cleere Turpentine, in sight, substance, sauour and taste. The whole plant in like manner being broken, smelleth of Turpentine: when the plant groweth to maturitie, the floures fal away, in place whereof appeareth the seed, blacke, and large, much like the seed of Gourds, set as though a cunning workeman had of purpose placed them in very good order, much like the honie∣combes of Bees: the root is white, compact of many strings, which perish at the first approch of winter, and must be set in most perfect dunged ground: the manner how, shall be shewed when vp∣on the like occasion I shall speake of Cucumbers and Melons.

[illustration]

1 Flos Solis maior. The greater Sun floure.

[illustration]

2 Flos Solis minor. The lesser Sunne floure.

2 The other golden floure of Peru is like the former, sauing that it is altogether lower, and the leaues more iagged, and very few in number.

3 The male floure of the Sun of the smaller sort hath a thicke root, hard, and of a wooddy sub∣stance, with many threddie strings annexed thereto, from which riseth vp a gray or russet stalke, to the height of fiue or six cubits, of the bignesse of ones arme, whereupon are set great broad leaues with long foot-stalkes, very fragill or easie to breake, of an ouerworne greene colour, sharp pointed, and somewhat cut or hackt about the edges like a saw: the floure groweth at the top of the stalks, bordered about with a pale of yellow leaues: the thrummed middle part is blacker than that of the last described. The whole floure is compassed about likewise with diuers such russet leaues as those are that do grow lower vpon the stalks, but lesser and narrower. The plant and euery part ther∣of doth smell of Turpentine, and the floure yeeldeth forth most cleere Turpentine, as my selfe haue noted diuers yeares. The seed is also long and blacke, with certaine lines or strakes of white run∣ning alongst the same. The roote and euery part thereof perisheth when it hath perfected his seed.

4 The female or Marigold Sun floure hath a thicke and wooddie root, from which riseth vp a straight stem, diuiding it selfe into one or more branches, set with smooth leaues sharpe pointed, sleightly indented about the edges. The floures grow at the top of the branches, of a faint yellow colour, the middle part is of a deeper yellow tending to blacknesse, of the forme and shape of a sin∣gle Marigold, whereupon I haue named it the Sunne Marigold. The seed as yet I haue not obser∣ued.