Wee haue in our Gardens two or three sorts of the Bastard Sena tree; a greater as I may so call it, and two lesser: the one with round thin transparent skins like bladders, wherein are the seede: the other with long round cods, the one bunched out or swelling in diuers places, like vnto a Scorpions tale, wherein is the seede, and the other very like vnto it, but smaller.
This shrub or tree, or shrubby tree, which you please to call it, riseth vp to the height of a pretty tree, the stemme or stock being sometimes of the bignesse of a mans arme, couered with a blackish greene rugged barke, the wood whereof is harder then of an Elder, but with an hollownesse like a pith in the heart or middle of the branches, which are diuided many wayes, and whereon are set at seuerall distances, diuers winged leaues, composed of many small round pointed, or rather flat pointed leaues, one set against another, like vnto Licoris, or the Hatchet Fitch; among these leaues come forth the flowers, in fashion like vnto Broome flowers, and as large, of a very yellow colour: after which appeare cleare thinne swelling cods like vnto thinne transparent bladders, wherein are contained blacke seede, set vpon a middle ribbe or sinew in the middle of the bladder, which if it be a little crushed betweene the fingers, will giue a cracke, like as a bladder full of winde. The roote groweth branched and woody.
This Bastard Sena groweth nothing so great or tall, but shooteth out diuersly, like vnto a shrub, with many shoots springing from the root: the branches are greener, but more rugged, hauing a white barke on the best part of the elder growne branches; for the young are greene, and haue such like winged leaues set on them as are to be seen in the former, but smaller, greener, and more pointed: the flowers are yellow, but much smaller, fashioned somewhat like vnto the former, with a reddish stripe downe the backe of the vppermost leafe: the long cods that follow are small, long and round, distinguished into many diuisions or dents, like vnto a Scorpions tayle, from whence hath risen the name: in these seuerall diuisions lye seuerall blacke seede, like vnto the seede of Fenigrecke: the roote is white and long, but not so woody as the former.
This lesser Bastard Sena is in all things like the former, but somewhat lower, and smaller both in leafe, flower, and cods of seede, which haue not such eminent bunches on the cods to be seene as the former.
They grow as Matthiolus saith about Trent in Italie, and in other places: the former is frequent enough through all our Countrey, but the others are more rare.
They flower about the middle or end of May, and their seede is ripe in August. The bladders of the first will abide a great while on the tree, if they be suffered, and vntill the winde cause them to rattle, and afterwards the skins opening, the seede will fall away.
The name Colutæa is imposed on them, and by the iudgement of most writers, the first is taken to bee that Colutæa of Lipara that Theophrastus maketh mention of, in the seuenteenth chapter of his third booke. But I should rather thinke that the Scorpioides were the truer Colutæa of Theophrastus, because the long pods thereof are more properly to bee accounted filiquæ, then the former which are vesicæ tumentes, windy bladders, and not filiquæ: and no doubt but Theophrastus would haue giuen some peculiar note of difference if he had meant those bladders, and not these cods. Let others of iudgement be vmpeeres in this case; although I know the currant of writers since Matthiolus, doe all hold the former Colutæa vesicaria to be the true Colutæa Liparæ of Theophrastus. Wee call it in English, Bastard Sena, from Ruellius, who as I thinke first called it Sena, from the forme of the leaues. The second and third (as I said before) from the forme of the cods receiued their names, as it is in the titles and descriptions; yet they may as properly be called Siliquosæ, for that their fruite are long cods.
Theophrastus saith it doth wonderfully helpe to fatten sheepe: But sure it is found by experience, that if it be giuen to man it causeth strong purgings both vpwards and downwards; and therefore let euery one beware that they vse not this in steede of good Sena, lest they feele to their cost the force thereof.