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.

TAmarinds, which at this day are a medicine frequently vsed, and vulgarly knowne in shops, were not knowne to the antient Greekes, but to some of the later, as Actuarius, and that by the name of Oxyphoenicae, that is, soure Dates, drawne as it may seeme from the Arabicke ap∣pellation, Tamarindi, that is, Indian Date: but this name is vnproper, neither tree nor fruit being of any affinitie with the Date, vnlesse the Arabicke Tamar be a word vsed in composition for fruits of many kindes, as the Greeke 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, the Latine Malum, and Apple with vs in English; for we call the Cone of the Pine, and excrescence of the Oke leafe, by the name of Pine Apple, and Oke Ap∣ple. But how soeuer it be, it is no matter for the name, whether it be proper or no, if so be that it serue to distinguish the thing from others, and we know what is denoted by it. In Malauar they call it Puti: in Guzarat, Ambili, by which name it is knowne in most parts of the East Indies. This tree is thus described by Prosper Alpinus, de Plant. Aegypti, cap. 10. The Tamarind (saith he) is a tree of the bignesse of a Plum tree, with many boughes and leaues like those of the Myrtle, many standing vpon one rib [one against another, with a single one at the end:] it carrieth white floures very like those of the Orange tree: out of whose middle comes forth foure white and very slender threds: after these come thicke and large cods, at first greene, but when they are ripe of an ash colour; and within these are contained thicke, hard, brownish, cornered seeds, and a blacke a∣cide pulpe. These trees grow in some few gardens of Egypt, whither they haue bin brought out of Arabia and Ethiopia. This plant hath this strange qualitie that the leaues alwaies follow the Sun, and when it sets they all contract themselues, and open out themselues againe at the rising there∣of; and there is obserued to be such force in this motion, that they closely shut vp and hold their cods (if any be on the tree) and then at the rising of the Sun they forgoe them againe. But I haue obserued this folding vp of the leaues to be common to diuers other Egyptian plants, as Acatia, 〈◊〉〈◊〉, 〈◊〉〈◊〉, and Sesban. Thus much 〈◊〉〈◊〉 of Alpinus.

The figure I here giue in the first place, out of Lobel, is of a plant some six moneths old, arisen of a seed: and such by sowing of seeds I haue seene growing in the garden of my deceased friend M^r. Tuggy, but they still died at the first approch of Winter. The other figure expresses the cods, and some of the seeds apart, taken forth of the cods: now the cods are neuer brought whole to vs, but the vtter rindes are taken off, and the strings or nerues that runne alongst the cods: the pulpe and seeds in it are close thrust together, and so are brought to vs in pots and such like vessels.