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Of Travellers- Joy

The Description.

THe plant which Lobel setteth forth under the title of Viorna, Dodonaeus makes Vitis alba; but not properly; whose long wooddy and viny branches extend themselves very far, and into infinite numbers, decking with his clasping tendrels and white starre-like floures (being very sweet) all the bushes, hedges, and shrubs that are neere unto it. It sends forth many branched stalkes, thicke, tough, full of shoots and clasping tendrels, wherewith it foldeth it selfe upon the hedges, and taketh hold and climeth upon every thing that standeth neere unto it. The leaves are fastned for the most part by fives upon one rib or stem, two on either side, and one in the midst or point standing alone; which leaves are broad like those of Ivy, but not cornered at all: among which come forth clusters of white floures, and after them great tufts of flat seeds, each seed having a fine white plume like a feather fastned to it, which maketh in the Winter a goodly shew, covering the hedges white all over with his feather-like tops. The root is long, tough, and thicke, with many strings fastned thereto.

The Place.

The Travellers-Joy is found in the borders of fields among thornes and briers, almost in every hedge as you go from Gravesend to Canturbury in Kent; in many places of Essex, and in most of these Southerly parts about London, but not in the North of England that I can heare of.

The Time.

The floures come forth in July: the beautie thereof appeares in November and December.

The Names.

The first is commonly called Viorna, quasi vias ornans, of decking and adorning waies and hedges, where people travel; and thereupon I have named it the Travellers-Joy.

The Temperature and Vertues.

These plants have no use in physicke as yet found out, but are esteemed onely for pleasure, by reason of the goodly shadow which they make with their thicke bushing and clyming, as also for the beauty of the floures, and the pleasant sent or savour of the same.