Chap. LX.
Flos Adonis flore rubro.
Red Adonis flower.
Adonis flower may well be accounted a kinde of Camomill, although it hath some especiall differences, hauing many long branches of leaues lying vpon the ground, and some rising vp with the stalke, so finely cut and iagged, that they much resemble the leaues of Mayweed, or of the former Nigella: at the top of the stalkes, which rise a foote high or better, stand small red flowers, consisting of six or eight round leaues, hauing a greene head in the middle, set about with many blackish threads, without any smell at all: after the flowers are past, there grow vp heads with many roundish white seedes at the toppes of them, set close together, very like vnto the heads of seede of the great Oxe eye, set downe in the next Chapter, but smaller: the rootes are small and thready, perishing euery yeare, but rising of his owne seede againe, many times before Winter, which will abide vntill the next yeare.
Yellow Adonis flower is like vnto the red, but that the flower is somewhat larger, and of a faire yellow colour.
The Place.
The first groweth wilde in the corn fields in many places of our own country, as well as in others, and is brought into Gardens for the beauties sake of the flower. The yellow is a stranger, but noursed in our Gardens with other rarities.
The Time.
They flower in May or Iune, as the yeare falleth out to be early or late: the seed is soone ripe after, and will quickly fall away, if it be not gathered.
The Names.
Some haue taken the red kinde to be a kinde of Anemone; other to be Eranthemum of Dioscorides: the most vsuall name now with vs is Flos Adonis, and Flos Adonidis: In English, where it groweth wilde, they call it red Maythes, as they call the Mayweede, white Maythes; and some of our English Gentlewomen call it Rosarubie: we vsually call it Adonis flower.
The Vertues.
It hath been certainly tryed by experience, that the seed of red Adonis flower drunke in wine, is good to ease the paines of the Collicke and Stone.