A nievve herball, or historie of plantes wherin is contayned the vvhole discourse and perfect description of all sortes of herbes and plantes: their diuers [and] sundry kindes: their straunge figures, fashions, and shapes: their names, natures, operations, and vertues: and that not onely of those whiche are here growyng in this our countrie of Englande, but of all others also of forrayne realmes, commonly vsed in physicke. First set foorth in the Doutche or Almaigne tongue, by that learned D. Rembert Dodoens, physition to the Emperour: and nowe first translated out of French into English, by Henry Lyte Esquyer.

Of Tornesole. Chap. xli.

❀ The Kyndes.

THere be two kindes of Heliotropium or Tornesol: The one called the great Tornesol: and the other the small Tornesol.

[illustration]

Heliotropium magnum. Great Tornesol.

[illustration]

Heliotropium paruum. Small Tornesol.

❀ The Description.

[ 1] THe great Tornesol, hath straight round stalkes, couered with a white hea∣rie cotton, especially about the toppe. The leaues are whitish, softe, and hearie like veluet, and fashioned like Basill leaues. The floures be white, at the toppe of the stalke growing thicke togither in rewes by one side of the stem, the which at the vpper end, do bend & turne againe like a Scorpiōs tayle, or the tayle of a Lobster, or riuer Creuis. The roote is small and harde.

[ 2] The small Tornesol carrieth only but one stem, of the length of a foote or somewhat more, the which diuideth it self into many branches. The leaues be whitishe, almost like to the first, but somewhat drawing towardes the leaues of the small Clote Burre. The floures be yellow and small, growing thicke to∣gither, and perish or vanish away without the bringing foorth of any fruyte like the floure of Palma Christi. The seede is grayishe, inclosed in triangled huskes or Coddes, like the huskes of Tithymall or Spurge, hanging downe vnderneth the leaues, by a single stem: they come forth without floure, for the floure is vnprofitable as is before sayde.

❀ The Place.

[ 1] The great Tornesol (as Ruellius saith) groweth in France, in frutefull tyl∣led groundes: but in this countrey it is onely found in gardens.

[ 2] The small Tornesol, groweth in lowe, sandie, and waterie places, and is found very plenteously in diuers places of Languedock.

❀ The Tyme.

[ 1.2] The Tornesolles, do floure about Mydsomer, and in Iuly.

❀ The Names.

[ 1] The great Tornesol is called in Greeke 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉: in La∣tine Heliotropium magnum: of the new, or late wryters Verrucaria maior, and Herba cancri, Solaris herba, Scorpionis herba, and therefore the base Almaignes do call it Creeftcruyt, and great Creeftcruyt.

[ 2] The small Tornesoll is called 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, Heliotropium paruum: of Aëtius Heliotropium tricoccum, of some it is called Verrucaria: in Spanishe Tornasol: in French Tournesol: in base Almaigne Cleyn Creeftcruyt, and cleyne Sonnewendt.

❀ The Nature.

The Tornesols, are hoate and dry in the thirde degree.

❀ The Vertues.

[ 1] [ A] A handfull of the great Tornesoll boyled & dronke, expelleth by opening the belly gentilly, hoate Cholericke humors, and tough, clammy, or slimie flegme.

[ B] The same boyled in wine and drōke is good against the stingings of Scor∣pions, it is also good to be layde too outwardly vpon the wounde.

[ C] They say, that if one drinke foure graynes of y^e seede of this herbe, an houre before the comming of the fitte of the feuer Quartayne, that it cureth the same: And three graynes so taken cureth the feuer Tertian.

[ D] The seede of this herbe pounde, & layde vpon Wartes, and such like excres∣sence, or superfluous out growings, causeth them to fall away.

[ E] The leaues of the same pounde, and layde too, cureth the Goute, with bru∣sings, burstings, and dislocation of members.

[ 2] [ F] The small Tornesoll and his seede boyled, with Hysope, Cressis, and Sall Nitri, and dronke, casteth foorth wormes both round and flat.

[ G] The same brused with falte, and layde vpon Wartes, driueth them away.

[ H] With the seede of the smal Tornesoll (being yet greene) they die and stayne old linnen cloutes and ragges into a purple colour (as witnesseth Plinie in his xxj. booke, Chap. vii.) wherewithall in this coūtrey men vse to colour gellies, wynes, fine Confections, and Comfittes.