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 SPeare-woort hath an hollow stalke full of knees or ioynts, whereon do grow long leaues, a little hairy, not vnlike those of the willow, of a shining green colour: the floures are ve∣ry large, and grow at the tops of the stalks, consisting of fiue leaues of a faire yellow co∣lour, verie like to the field gold cup, or wilde Crow-foot: after which come round knops or seed vessels, wherein is the seed: the root is contract of diuers bulbes or long clogs, mixed with an infi∣nite number of hairy threds.

[illustration]

1 Ranunculus flammeus maior. Great Speare-woort.

[illustration]

2 Ranunculus flammeus minor. The lesser Speare-woort.

2 The common Spearewoort being that which we haue called the lesser, hath leaues, floures, and stalks like the precedent, but altogether lesser: the roote consisteth of an infinite number of threddie strings.

[illustration]

3 Ranunculus flammeus serratus. Iagged Speare-woort.

[illustration]

4 Ranunculus palustris rotundifolius. Marish Crow-foot, or Speare-worts.

3 Iagged Speare-woort hath a thicke fat hollow stalke, diuiding it selfe into diuers branches, whereon are set somtimes by couples two long leaues, sharp pointed, & cut about the edges like the teeth of a saw. The floures grow at the top of the branches, of a yellow colour, in form like those of the field Crowfoot: the root consisteth of a number of hairy strings.

4 Marsh Crow-foot, or Speare-woort (whereof it is a kinde, taken of the best approued authors to be the true Apium risus, though diuers thinke that Pulsatilla is the same: of some it is called Apium 〈◊〉〈◊〉) riseth forth of the mud or waterish mire from a threddie root, to the height of a cubit, sometimes higher. The stalke diuideth it selfe into diuers branches, whereupon doe grow leaues deeply cut round about like those of Doues-foot, and not vnlike to the cut Mallow, but somewhat greater, and of a most bright shining green colour: the floures grow at the top of the branches, of a yellow colour, like vnto the other water Crow-feet.