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 AMong the wilder Okes this is not the least, for his comely proportion, although vn∣profitable for timber, to make coles, carts, Wainscot, houses, or ships of: the fruit is not fit for any man or beast to eate, neither any propertie knowne sor the vse of phy∣sicke or surgerie: it groweth vp to the height of a faire tree, the trunke or body is great, and verie faire to looke vpon: the wood or timber soft and spongie, scarce good to be burned: from which shooteth forth very comely branches dispersing themselues farre abroad; whereon are set for the most part by couples very faire leaues, greene aboue, and of an ouerworne russet colour vnder∣neath, cut or snipt about the edges very deepe: the Acorne groweth fast vnto the boughes, with∣out any foot-stalke at all, being very like vnto our common Acorne, set in a rough and prickly cup like an Hedge-hog or the Chesnut huske, of a harsh taste, and hollow within: this tree beareth or

[illustration]

‡ Cerri minoris 〈◊〉〈◊〉 cum flore. A branch of the smaller Holme Oke with floures.

bringeth forth oft times a certain smooth kinde of Gall not altogether vnprofitable. This Oke likewise bringeth forth another kinde of excresence, which the Grauer hath omitted in the figure, which is called in Greeke 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉: Gaza nameth it Penis. This Penis or pricke is hollow, mossie, hanging downe halfe a yard long, like a long rag of linnen cloath.

2 The second is altogether like the first, sauing that this beareth smaller A∣cornes, and the whole tree is altogether lesse, wherein consisteth the difference.

‡ Both this & the former cary floures clustering vpon long stalkes, like as in the common Oke; but the fruit doth not suc∣ceed them, but grow forth in other pla∣ces. ‡