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Of Larks Heele or Larks Claw

The Description.

I THe garden Larks spur hath a round stem ful of branches, set with tender jagged leaves very like unto the small Sothernwood: the floures grow alongst the stalks toward the tops of the branches, of a blew colour, consisting of five little leaves which grow together and make one hollow floure, having a taile or spur at the end turning in like the spur of Todeflax. After come the seed, very blacke, like those of Leekes: the root perisheth at the first approch of Winter. 2 The second Larks spur is like the precedent, but somewhat smaller in stalkes and leaves: the floures are also like in forme, but of a white colour, wherein especially is the difference. These floures are sometimes of a purple colour, sometimes white, murrey, carnation, and of sundry other colours, varying infinitely, according to the soile or country wherein they live. 3 The wilde Larks spur hath most fine jagged leaves, cut and backt into divers parts, confusedly set upon a small middle tendrell: among which grow the floures, in shape like the others, but a great deale lesser, sometimes purple, otherwhiles white, and often of a mixt colour. The root is small and threddy. The Place.

These plants are set and sowne in gardens: the last groweth wilde in corne fields, and where corn hath grown.

The Time.

They floure for the most part all Summer long, from June to the end of August, and oft-times after.

The Names.

Larks heele is called Flos Regius: of divers, Consolida regalis: who make it one of the Consounds or Comfreyes. It is also thought to be the Delphinium which Dioscorides describes in his third booke; wherewith it may agree: for the floures, and especially before they be perfected, have a certaine shew and likenesse of those Dolphins, which old pictures and armes of certain antient families have expressed with a crooked and bending figure or shape, by which signe also the heavenly Dolphine is set forth.

The Vertues.

We finde little extant of the vertues of Larks heele, either in the antient or later writers, worth the noting, or to be credited; yet it is set downe, that the seed of Larks spur drunken is good against the stingings of Scorpions; whose vertues are so forceable, that the herbe onely throwne before the Scorpion or any other venomous beast, couseth them to be without force or strength to hurt, insomuch that they cannot move or stirre until the herbe be taken away: with many other such trifling toyes not worth the reading.