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 stalkes of Thorny-apples are oftentimes aboue a cubit and a halfe high, seldome higher, an inch thicke, vpright and straight, hauing very few branches, sometimes none at all, but one vpright stemme; whereupon doe grow leaues smooth and euen, little or nothing indented about the edges, longer and broader than the leaues of Night-shade, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 of the mad Apples. The floures come forth of long toothed cups, great, white of the forme of a bell, or like the floures of the great Withwinde that rampeth in hedges; but altogether greater and wider at the mouth, sharpe cornered at the brimmes, with certaine white chiues or threds in the middest, of a strong ponticke sauour, offending the head when it is smelled vnto: in the place of the floure commeth vp round fruit full of short and blunt prickles, of the bignesse of a greene Wall-nut when it is at the biggest, in which are the seeds of the bignesse of tares or of Mandrakes, and of the same forme. The herbe it selfe is of a strong sauor, and doth stuffe the head, and causeth drowsinesse. The root is small and threddy.

2 There is another kinde hereof altogether greater than the former, whose seeds I receiued of the right honorable the Lord Edward Zouch; which he brought from Constantinople, and of his liberalitie did bestow them vpon me, as also many other rare & strange seeds; and it is that Thorn∣apple that I haue dispersed through this land, whereof at this present I haue great vse in Surgery, as well in burnings and scaldings, as also in virulent and maligne vlcers, apostumes, and such like. The which plant hath a very great stalke in fertile ground, bigger than a mans arme, smooth, and greene of colour, which a little aboue the ground diuideth it selfe into sundry branches or armes, in manner of an hedge tree; whereupon are placed many great leaues cut and indented deepely

about the edges, with many vneuen sharpe corners: among these leaues come white round floures made of one piece in manner of a bell, shutting it selfe vp close toward night, as do the floures of the great Binde-weed, whereunto it is very like, of a sweet smell, but so strong, that it offends the sences. The fruit followeth round, sometimes of the fashion of an egge, set about on euerie part with most sharpe prickles; wherein is contained very much seed of the bignesse of tares, and of the same fashion. The root is thicke, made of great and small strings: the whole plant is sowen, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 his fruit, and perisheth the same yeare. ‡ There are are some varieties of this plant, in the colour and doublenesse of the floures. ‡

[illustration]

1 Stramonium Peregrinum. The Apple of Peru.

[illustration]

2 Stramonium spinosum. Thorny Apples of Peru.