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Of Winde-Floures

The Kindes.

THe stocke or kindred of the Anemones or Winde-floures, especially in their varieties of colours, are without number, or at the least not sufficiently knowne unto any one that hath written of plants. My selfe have in my garden twelve different sorts: and yet I do heare of divers more differing very notably from any of these: which I have briefely touched, though not figured, every new yeare bringing with it new and strange kindes; and every country his peculiar plants of this sort, which are sent unto us from far countries, in hope to receive from us such as our country yeeldeth. The Description.

I THe first kinde of Anemone or Winde-floure hath small leaves very much snipt or jagged almost like unto Camomile, or Adonis floure: among which riseth up a stalke bare or naked almost unto the top; at which place is set two or three leaves like the other: and at the top of the stalke commeth forth a faire and beautifull floure compact of seven leaves, and sometimes eight, of a violet colour tending to purple. It is impossible to describe the colour in his full perfection, considering the variable mixtures. The root is tuberous or knobby, and very brittle. 2 The second kind of Anemone hath leaves like to the precedent, insomuch that it is hard to distinguish the one from the other but by the floures onely: for those of this plant are of a most bright and faire skarlet colour, and as double as the Marigold; and the other not so. The root is knobby and very brittle, as is the former. 3 The great Anemone hath double floures, usually called the Anemone of Chalcedon (which is a city in Bithynia) and great broad leaves deepely cut in the edges, not unlike to those of the field Crow-foot, of an overworne greene colour: amongst which riseth up a naked bare stalke almost unto the top, where there stand two or three leaves in shape like the others, but lesser; sometimes changed into reddish stripes, confusedly mixed here and there in the said leaves. On the top of the stalke standeth a most gallant floure very double, of a perfect red colour, the which is sometimes striped amongst the red with a little line or two of yellow in the middle; from which middle commeth forth many blackish thrums. The seed is not to be found that I could ever observe, but is carried away with the wind. The root is thicke and knobby.

The Place.

All the sorts of Anemones are strangers, and not found growing wilde in England; notwithstanding all and every sort of them do grow in my garden very plentifully.

The Time.

They floure from the beginning of Januarie to the end of April, at what time the flours do fade, and the seed flieth away with the wind, if there be any seed at all; the which I could never as yet observe. The Names.

Anemone, or Wind-floure, is so called, for the floure doth never open it selfe but when the wind doth blow, as Pliny writeth: whereupon it is named of divers, Herba venti: in English, Wind-floure.

The Temperature.

All the kinds of Anemones are sharp, biting the tongue, and of a binding facultie.