Paradisi in sole paradisus terrestris, or, A garden of all sorts of pleasant flowers which our English ayre will permitt to be noursed vp / a kitchen garden of all manner of herbes, rootes & fruites for meate or sauce vsed with vs, and, an orchard of all sorte of fruitbearing trees and shrubbes fit for our land, together with the right orderinge, planting & preseruing of them and their vses & vertues

Chap. LXXXV.
Gentiana. Gentian or Fell-wort.

There are diuers sorts of Gentians or Fell-wortes, some greater, others lesser, and some very small; many of them haue very beautifull flowers, but because some are very suddenly past, before one would thinke they were blowne open, and others will abide no culture and manuring, I will onely set forth vnto you two of the greater sorts, and three of the lesser kindes, as fittest, and more familiarly furnishing our gardens, leauing the rest to their wilde habitations, and to bee comprehended in a generall Worke.

1. Gentiana maior flore flauo. The great Gentian.

The great Gentian riseth vp at the first, with a long, round and pointed head of leaues, closing one another, which after opening themselues, lye vpon the ground, and are faire, long and broad, somewhat plaited or ribbed like vnto the leaues of white Ellebor or Neeseworte, but not so fairely or eminently plaited, neyther so stiffe, but rather resembling the leaues of a great Plantane: from among which riseth vp a stiffe round stalke, three foote high or better, full of ioynts, hauing two such leaues, but narrower and smaller at euery ioynt, so compassing about the stalke at the lower end of them, that they will almost hold water that falleth into them: from the middle of the stalke to the toppe, it is garnished with many coronets or rundles of flowers, with two such greene leaues likewise at euery ioynt, and wherein the flowers doe stand, which are yellow, layd open like starres, and rising out of small greenish huskes, with some threds in the middle of them, but of no sent at all, yet stately to behold, both for the order, height and proportion of the plant: the seede is browne and flat, contained in round heads, somewhat like vnto the seede of the Fritillaria, or checkerd Daffodill, but browner: the rootes are great, thicke and long, yellow, and exceeding bitter.

2. Gentiana maior folio Asclepiadis. Swallow-wort Gentian.

This kinde of Gentian hath many stalkes rising from the roote, neere two foote high, whereon grow many faire pale greene leaues, set by couples, with three ribs in euery one of them, and doe somewhat resemble the leaues of Asclepias or Swallow-wort, that is, broade at the bottome, and sharpe at the point: the flowers grow at the seuerall ioynts of the stalkes, from the middle vpwards, two or three together, which are long and hollow, like vnto a bell flower, ending in fiue corners, or pointed leaues, and folded before they are open, as the flowers of the Bindeweedes are, of a faire blew colour, sometimes deeper, and sometimes paler: the heads or seede vessels haue two points or hornes at the toppes, and containe within them flat grayish seed, like vnto the former, but lesse: the rootes hereof are nothing so great as the former, but are yellow, small and long, of the bignesse of a mans thumbe.

3. Gentiana minor Cruciata. Crosse-wort Gentian.

This small Gentian hath many branches lying vpon the ground, scarce lifting themselues vpright, and full of ioynts, whereat grow vsually foure leaues, one opposite vnto another, in manner of a Crosse, from whence it tooke his name, in shape very like vnto Saponaria or Sopewort, but shorter, and of a darker greene colour: at the tops of the stalkes stand many flowers, thick thrusting together, and likewise at the next ioynt vnderneath, euery one of them standing in a darke blewish greene huske, and consisting of fiue small leaues, the points or ends whereof only appeare aboue the huskes wherein they stand, and are hardly to be seene, but that they are of a fine pale blew colour, and that many grow together: the seed is small and brown, hard, and somewhat like vnto the seed of the Marian Violets, or Couentry bels: the roots are small and whitish, dispersing themselues diuersly in the ground, of as bitter a taste almost as the rest

4. Gentianella Verna. Small Gentian of the Spring.

The small Gentian of the Spring hath diuers small hard greene leaues, lying vpon the ground, as it were in heads or tufts, somewhat broade below, and pointed at the end, with fiue ribs or veines therein, as conspicuous as in the former Gentians, among which riseth vp a small short stalke, with some smaller leaues thereon, at the toppe whereof standeth one faire, large, hollow flower, made bell fashion, with wide open brimmes, ending in fiue corners or diuisions, of the most excellent deepe blew colour that can be seene in any flower, with some white spots in the bottome on the inside: after the flower is past, there appeare long and round pods, wherein are contained small blackish seede: the rootes are small, long, pale yellow strings, which shoot forth here and there diuers heads of leaues, and thereby encrease reasonable well, if it finde a fit place, and ground to grow, or else will not be noursed vp, with all the care and diligence can be vsed: the whole plant is bitter, but not so strong as the former.

5. Gentiana Autumnalis siue Pneumonanthe. Calathian Violet or Autumne Gentian.

This Gentian that flowreth in Autumne, hath in some places higher stalkes then in others, with many leaues thereon, set by couples as in other Gentians, but long and narrow, yet shewing the three ribbes or veines that are in each of them: the toppes of the stalkes are furnished euery one with a flower or two, of an excellent blew purple colour, ending in fiue corners, and standing in long huskes: the rootes are somewhat great at the top, and spreading into many small yellow strings, bitter as the rest are.

6. Saponaria flore duplici. Double flowred Sopeworte.

Vnto these kindes of Gentians, I must needes adde these following plants, for that the former is of some neere resemblance in leafe with some of the former. And because the ordinary Sopeworte or Bruiseworte with single flowers is often planted in Gardens, and the flowers serue to decke both the garden and the house; I may vnder the one describe them both: for this with double flowers is farre more rare, and of greater beautie. It hath many long and slender round stalkes, scarce able to sustaine themselues, and stand vpright, being ful of ioynts and ribbed leaues at them, euery one somewhat like a small Gentian or Plantane leafe: at the toppes of the stalkes stand many flowers, consisting of two or three rowes of leaues, of a whitish or pale purple colour, and of a strong sweet sent, somewhat like the smell of Iasmin flowers, standing in long and thicke pale greene huskes, which fall away without giuing any seede, as most other double flowers doe that encrease by the roote, which spreadeth within the ground, and riseth vp in sundry distant places like the single.

7. Plantago Rosea. Rose Plantane.

This other plant is in all things like vnto the ordinary Plantane or Ribworte, that groweth wilde abroade in many places, whose leaues are very large: but instead of the long slender spike, or eare that the ordinary hath, this hath eyther a thicke long spike of small greene leaues vpon short stalkes, or else a number of such small greene leaues layd round-wise like vnto a Rose, and sometimes both these may be seene vpon one and the same roote, at one and the same time, which abide a great while fresh vpon the roote, and sometimes also giueth seede, especially from the more long and slender spikes.