I haue adioyned this plant, for the pleasurable beauty of the greene leaues, and red berries. It groweth vp to be a yard or foure foote high at the most, hauing a small wooddy stemme or stocke, as bigge as ones finger or thumbe, couered with a whitish greene barke, set full of greene branches, and faire greene leaues, somewhat vneuen sometimes on the edges, narrower then any Night shade leaues, and very neare resembling the leaues of the Capsicum, or Ginny pepper, but smaller and narrower, falling away in the Winter, and shooting fresh in the Spring of the yeare: the flowers growe often two or three together, at the ioynts of the branches with the leaues, being white, opening starre-fashion, and sometimes turning themselues backe, with a yellow pointell in the middle, very like vnto the flowers of Night shade: after the flowers are past, come forth in their stead small greene buttons, which after turne to be pleasant round red berries, of the bignesse of small Cherries when they are ripe, which with vs vsually ripen not vntill the Winter, or about Christmas, wherein are contained many small whitish seede that are flat: all the whole plant, as well leaues and flowers as seede, are without either smell or taste: the roote hath many yellowish strings and fibres annexed vnto it.
The originall place hereof is not well knowne, but is thought to bee the West Indies. It hath been planted of long time in most of these Countries, where it abideth reasonable well, so that some care bee had thereof in the extreamity of the Winter.
It flowreth sometimes it Iune but vsually in Iuly and August, and the fruit is not ripe (as is said) vntill the Winter.
This plant hath diuers names; for it is thought to be that kinde of Amomum that Plinie setteth downe. Dodonæus calleth it Pseudocapsicum, for some likenesse in the leafe and fruit vnto the small Capsicum or Ginnie Pepper, although much vnlike in the taste and property. Others doe call it Strichnodendron, that is, Solanum arborescens, and wee in English according thereunto, Tree Night shade. But some Latin asses corrupting the Latine word Amomum, doe call it the Mumme tree. Dalechampius calleth it Solanum Americum, seu Indicum, and saith the Spaniards call it in their tongue, Guindas de las Indias, that is, Cerasa Indiana, Indian Cherries, which if any would follow, I would not bee much against it: but many Gentlewomen, doe call them Winter Cherries, because the fruit is not throughly ripe vntill Winter.
I finde no physicall property allotted vnto it, more then that by reason of the insipidity, it is held to be cooling.