The Foorme.
The greater bottle Gourd, groweth as all other of these kind of herbs do, spreading many great rough and hairy arms, and branches with several great and broad leaves, soft and almost round: yet pointed at the ends, and sometimes dented about the edges, set upon long footstalks, and long clasping tendrels, like a Vine set at other joynts; whereby it climeth, taking hold and winding it self about whatsoever poles, arbours, trees, or other things that stand next unto it; or else not having whereon to climb or raise it self, it lieth on the ground sprea∣ding a great compass as the Pompion doth; at the several joynts likewise with the leaves come forth several flowers in the same manner as Pompions, Cucumbers or Melons, but are very large and hollow like Bells ending in five points or cor∣ners, with a round green head under each of them, that will bear fruit: for many flowers wither and bear no fruit, not having that round green head under the flowers which should grow to be the fruit, and will be full and ready to come forwards with the short stiffe stalk under it; the colour of the flowers are either white, or pale-white, or pale-yellow: the fruit when it is ripe hath an hard out∣ward rind or shell, yellowish, large and round bellied, flat at the bottom like n••ou a g••asse bott••e, & smaller up to the neck; above which, is a smal round formed head whereunto the stalk is fastned, and sometimes without any small head being pen∣dulous or hanging down not standing forth or upright: within which fruit, lie dispersedly many seeds, having smooth hard wooddy shells, flat and broad at the upper end or head, and somewhat pointed below; wherein lyeth a sweet white kernel, the root consisteth of many long strings spreading much within the ground, but perisheth usually with the first frosts.