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 THere hath beene among wri∣ters from time to time, great contention about this plant Limonium, no one authour agreeing with another: for some haue called this herbe Li∣monium; some another herb by this name; & some in remouing the rock, haue mired themselues in the mud, as Matthiolus, who described two kindes, but made no di∣stinction of them, nor yet expressed which was the true Limonium; but as a man heerein ignorant, hee speakes not a word of them. Now then to leaue con∣trouersies and cauilling, the true Limoni∣um is that which hath faire leaues, like the Limon or Orenge tree, but of a darke greene colour, somewhat fatter, and a lit∣tle crumpled: amongst which leaues riseth vp an hard and brittle naked stalke of a foot high, di∣uided at the top into sundry other small branches, which grow for the most part vpon the one side, full of little blewish floures, in shew like Lauander, with long red seed, and a thicke root like vnto the small Docke.

2 There is a kinde of Limonium like the first in each respect, but lesser, which groweth vpon rockes and chalkie cliffes.

‡ 3 Besides these two here described, there is another elegant Plant by Clusius and others referred to this kindred: the description thereof is thus; from a long slender root come forth long greene leaues lying spred vpon the ground, being also deepely sinuated on both sides, and some∣what roughish. Amongst these leaues grow vp the stalkes welted with slender indented skinnes, and towards their tops they are diuided into sundry branches after the manner of the ordinarie one; but these branches are also winged, and at their tops they carry floures some foure or fiue

clustering together, consisting of one thin crispe or crumpled leafe of a light blew colour (which continues long, if you gather them in their perfect vigour, and so drie them) and in the middest of this blew comes vp little white floures, consisting of fiue little round leaues with some white threds in their middles. This plant was first obserued by 〈◊〉〈◊〉 at Ioppa in Syria: but it growes also vpon the coasts of Barbarie, and at Malacca and Cadiz in Spaine: I haue seene it growing with many other rare plants, in the Garden of my kinde friend M^r. Iohn Tradescant at South Lambeth.

4 Clusius in the end of his fourth Booke Historiae Plantarum, sets forth this, and saith, hee receiued this figure with one dryed leafe of the plant sent him from Paris from Claude Gonier an Apothecarie of that citie, who receiued it (as you see it here exprest) from Lisbone. Now Clusius describes the leafe that it was hard, and as if it had been a piece of leather, open on the vpper side, and distinguished with many large purple veines on the inside, &c. for the rest of his description was onely taken from the figure (as he himselfe saith) which I hold impertinent to set downe, seeing I heere giue you the same figure, which by no meanes I could omit, for the strangenesse thereof, but hope that some or other that trauell into forraine parts may finde this elegant plant, and know it by this small expression, and bring it home with them, that so we may come to a per∣fecter knowledge thereos. ‡

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‡ 3 Limonium folio sinuato. Sea-Lauander with the indented leafe.

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‡ 4 Limonio congener, Clus. Hollow leaued Sea-Lauander: