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Of Floure-Gentle

The Kindes.

THere be divers sorts of Floure-gentle, differing in many points very notably, as in greatnesse and smalnesse; some purple, and others of a skarlet colour; and one above the rest wherewith Nature hath seemed to delight her selfe, especially in the leaves, which in variable colours strives with the Parrats feathers for beauty.

The Description. 1 PUrple Floure-gentle riseth up with a stalke a cubit high, and somtimes higher, streaked or chamfered alongst the same, often reddish toward the root, and very smooth; which divides it self toward the top into smal branches, about which stand long leaves, broad, sharpe pointed, soft, slipperie, of a greene colour, and sometimes tending to a reddish: in stead of floures come up eares or spoky tufts, very brave to look upon, but without smel, of a shining light purple, with a glosse like Velvet, but far passing it: which when they are bruised doe yeeld a juice almost of the same colour, and being gathered, doe keep their beauty a long time after; insomuch that being set in water, it will revive again as at the time of his gathering, and remaineth so, many yeares; whereupon likewise it hath taken it's name. The seed standeth in the ripe eares, of colour blacke, and much glittering: the root is short and full of strings. 2 It farre exceedeth my skill to describe the beauty and excellencie of this rare plant called Floramor; and I thinke the pensil of the most curious painter will be at a stay, when he shall come to set it downe in his lively colours. But to colour it after my best manner, this I say, Floramor hath a thicke knobby root, whereon do grow many threddie strings; from which riseth a thicke stalke, but tender and soft, which beginneth to divide it selfe into sundry branches at the ground and so upward, whereupon doth grow many leaves, wherein doth consist his beauty: for in few words, everie leafe resembleth in colour the most faire and beautifull feather of a Parat especially those feathers that are mixed with most sundry colours, as a stripe of red, and a line of yellow, a dash of white, and a rib of green colour, which I cannot with words set forth, such are the sundry mixtures of colours that Nature hath bestowed in her greatest jolitie, upon this floure. The floure doth grow betweene the foot-stalks of those leaves, and the body of the stalke or trunke, base, and of no moment in respect of the leaves, being as it were little chaffie husks of an overworne tawny colour: the seed is black, and shining like burnished horne.

The Place and Time.

These pleasant floures are sowne in gardens, especially for their great beautie.

They floure in August, and continue flourishing till the frost overtake them, at what time they perish.

The Vertues.

It is reported they stop all kindes of bleeding; which is not manifest by any apparant quality in them, except peradventure by the colour onely that the red eares have: for some are of opinion, that all red things stanch bleeding in any part of the body: because some things of red colour doe stop bloud: But Galen, lib. 2 & 4. de simp. facult. plainly sheweth, that there can be no certainty gathered from the colours, touching the vertues of simple and compound medicines: wherefore they are ill persuaded, that thinke the floure Gentle to stanch bleeding, because of the colour onely, if they had no other reason to induce them thereto.