Paradisi in sole paradisus terrestris. or A garden of all sorts of pleasant flowers which our English ayre will permitt to be noursed vp with a kitchen garden of all manner of herbes, rootes, & fruites, for meate or sause vsed with vs, and an orchard of all sorte of fruitbearing trees and shrubbes fit for our land together with the right orderinge planting & preseruing of them and their vses & vertues collected by Iohn Parkinson apothecary of London 1629.

CHAP. CXI.

Cistus. The Holly Rose or Sage Rose.

THere are three principall kindes of Cistus, the male, the female, and the gumme or sweete smelling Cistus bearing Ladanum, called Ledon. Of each of these three there are also diuers sorts: Of them all to intreate in this worke is not my minde, I will onely select out of the multitude some few that are fit for this our Gar∣den, and leaue the rest to a greater.

1. Cistus mas. The male Holly Rose or Sage Rose.

The male Cistus that is most familiar vnto our Countrey, I meane that will best a∣bide, is a small shrubby plant, growing seldome aboue three or foure foote high with vs, hauing many slender brittle wooddy branches, couered with a whitish barke, whereon are set many whitish greene leaues, long and somewhat narrow, crumpled or wrinckled as it were with veines, and somewhat hard in handling, especially the old ones; for the young ones are softer, somewhat like vnto Sage leaues for the forme and colour, but much smaller, two alwaies set together at a ioynt: the flowers stand at the toppe of the branches, three or foure together vpon seuerall slender foot∣stalkes, consisting of fiue small round leaues a peece, somewhat like vnto a small single Rose, of a fine reddish purple colour, with many yellow threads in the middle, with∣out

any sent at all, and quickly fading or falling away, abiding seldome one whole day blowne at the most: after the flowers are past, there come vp round hard hairie heads in their places, containing small brownish seede: the roote is wooddy, and will abide some yeares with vs, if there be some care had to keepe it from the extrea∣mity of our Winters frostes, which both this, and many of the other sorts and kinds, will not abide doe what we can.

2. Cistus faemina. The female Holly Rose.

The female Holly Rose groweth lower, and smaller then the former male kinde, hauing blackish branches, lesse woody, but not lesse brittle then it: the leaues are some∣what rounder and greener, but a little hard or rough withall, growing in the same man∣ner vpon the branches by couples: the flowers grow at the toppes of the branches, like vnto the former, consisting of fiue leaues, but somewhat lesser, and wholly white, with yellow threds in the middle, as quickly fading, and of as little sent as the former: the heads and seede are somewhat bigger then in the former.

3. Chamaecistus Frisicus. The dwarfe Holly Rose of Friseland.

This dwarfe Cistus is a small low plant, hauing diuers shootes from the rootes, full of leaues that are long and narrow, very like vnto the leaues of the French Spikenard or Spica Celtica; from among which leaues shoote forth short stalkes, not aboue a span high, with a few smaller leaues thereon; and at the toppes diuers small flowers one a∣boue another, consisting of six small round leaues, of a yellow colour, hauing two cir∣cles of reddish spots round about the bottome of the leaues, a little distant one from another, which adde much grace to the flower: after the flowers are past, there come in their places small round heads, being two forked at the end, containing within them small brownish chaffie seede: the roote is small and slender, with many fibres thereat creeping vnder ground, and shooting forth in diuers places, whereby it much encrea∣seth: the whole plant, and euery part of it, smelleth strong without any pleasant sent.

4. Cistus annuus. The Holly Rose of a yeare.

This small Cistus that endureth but a year (and will require to be sowne euery year, if ye will haue it) riseth vp with straight, but slender hard stalkes, set here and there con∣fusedly with long and narrow greenish leaues, very like vnto the leaues of the Gum Cistus or Ledon, being a little clammy withall: at the toppe of the stalkes, and at the ioynts with the leaues, stand two or three pale yellow flowers, consisting of fiue leaues a peece, with a reddish spot neere the bottome of euery leafe of the flower, as quickely fading as any of the former: after which follow small three square heades, containing small seede, like vnto the first female kinde, but somewhat paler or yellower: the root is small and woody, and perisheth as soone as it hath borne seede.

5. Cistus Ledon. The Gum Cistus, or Sweete Holly Rose.

This sweete Holly Rose or Gum Cistus, riseth higher, and spreadeth larger then the former male kind doth, with many blackish woody branches, whereon are set diuers long and narrow darke greene leaues, but whitish vnderneath, two alwayes standing together at a ioint, both stalks and leaues bedeawed as it were continually with a clam∣my sweete moisture (which in the hot Countries is both more plentifull, and more sweet then in ours) almost transparent, and which being gathered by the inhabitants, with certaine instruments for that purpose (which in some places are leather thongs, drawne ouer the bushes, and after scraped off from the thongs againe, and put toge∣ther) is that kind of blacke sweet gum, which is called Ladanum in the Apothecaries shops: at the tops of the branches stand single white flowers, like vnto single Roses, being larger then in any of the former kindes, consisting of fiue leaues, whereof euery one hath at the bottome a dark purplish spot, broad below, and small pointed vpwards, with some yellow threds in the middle: after which are past, there arise cornered

[illustration] depiction of flowers

1 Cistus mas The male Holly Rose. 2 Chamaecistus Frisucus. The dwarfe Holly Rose of Frisia. 3 Cistus Ledon. The sweet Holly Rose or gumme Cistus. 4 Ledum Alpinum. The mountaine Holly Rose. 5 Ledum Silesiacum. The sweet Mary Rose of Silesia. 6 Rosmarinum aureum. Gilded Rosemary.

heads, containing such small brownish seede as is in the former male kinde: the roote is woody, and spreadeth vnder ground, abiding some yeares, if it be placed vnder a wall, where it may bee defended from the windes that often breake it, and from the extremitie of our winters, and especially the snow, if it lye vpon it, which quickly causeth it to perish.

6. Ledum Alpinum seu Rosa Alpina. The Mountaine sweet Holly Rose.

The fragrant smell with properties correspondent of two other plants, causeth me to insert them in this Chapter, and to bring them to your knowledge, as well worthy a fit place in our Garden. The first of them hath diuers flender woody branches, two foote high or thereabouts, couered with a grayish coloured barke, and many times leaning downe to the ground, whereby it taketh roote againe: vpon these branches grow many thicke, short, hard greene leaues, thicke set together, confusedly without order, sometimes whitish vnderneath, and sometimes yellowish: the toppes of the branches are loden with many flowers, which cause them to bend downwards, being long, hollow and reddish, opening into fiue corners, spotted on the outside with many white spots, and of a paler red colour on the inside, of a fine sweet sent: after the flowers are past, there follow small heads, containing small brownish seede: the root is long, hard and woody, abiding better if it comprehend in the ground, then some of the former, because his originall is out of a colder country.

7. Ledum Silesiacum. The sweete Mary Rose, or Rosemary of Silesia.

This other sweete plante riseth vp with woody ash-coloured branches two foote high or more, which shoote forth other branches, of a reddish or purplish colour, co∣uered with a brownish yellow hoarinesse, on which are set many narrow long greene leaues, like vnto Rosemary leaues, but couered with the like hoarinesse as the stalks are (especially in the naturall places, but not so much being transplanted) and folding the sides of the leaues so close together, that they seeme nothing but ribbes, or stalkes, of an excellent sweet and pleasant sent; at the ends of the branches there grow certaine brownish scaly heads, made of many small leaues set thicke together, out of which breake forth many flowers, standing in a tuft together, yet seuerally euery one vpon his owne footstalke, consisting of fiue white leaues, with certaine white threds in the middle, smelling very sweete: after which rise small greene heads, spotted with brownish spots, wherein is contained very small, long, yellowish seede: the roote is hard and woodie.

The Place.

The first, second, fourth and fifth, grow in the hot Countries, as Italie, Spaine, &c. The third, and the two last in the colder Countries, as Frise∣land, Germanie, Bohemia.

The Time.

They do all flower in the Summer moneths of Iune, Iuly and August, and their seede is ripe quickly after.

The Names.

The first, second, fourth and fift, haue their names sufficiently expressed in their descriptions. The third was sent vnto Clusius, vnder the name of Herculus Frisicus, because of the strong sent: but he referreth it to the kinds of Chamaecistus, that is, dwarfe or low Cistus, both for the low growth, and for the flowers and seede sake. The sixt is diuersly called; for Clusius calleth it Ledum Alpinum: others, Nerium Alpinum, making it to bee a Rose Bay.

Gesner according to the Countrey peoples name, Rosa Alpina, and Rosa Montana. Lobel calleth it Balsamum Alpinum, of the fragrant smell it hath, and Chamaerbododendros Chamaelaeae folio. And some haue called it Euonymus, without all manner of iudgement. In English wee may call it, The Moun∣taine Rose, vntill a fitter name be giuen it. The last is called of Matthiolus, Rosmarinum siluestre, but of Clusius Ledum, referring it to their kindred; and Silesiacum, because he found it in that Countrey; or for distinction sake, as he saith, it may bee called, Ledum folijs Rosmarini, or Ledum Bohemicum. Cordus, as it seemeth in his History of Plants, calleth it Chamaepeuce, as though he did account it a kinde of low Pine, or Pitch tree.

The Vertues.

The first, second, and fift, are very astringent, effectuall for all sorts of fluxes of humours. The sweet Gum called Ladanum, made artificially into oyle, is of singular vse for Alopecia, or falling of the haire. The seed of the fourth is much commended against the stone of the Kidneyes. The sweete Rosemary of Silesia is vsed of the inhabitants, where it naturally groweth, against the shrinking of sinewes, crampes, or other such like diseases, wherof their daily experience makes it familiar, being vsed in bathing or otherwise.