America: Being the Latest, and Most Accurate Description of the Nevv VVorld / Containing the Original of the Inhabitants, and the Remarkable Voyages Thither. The Conquest of the Vast Empires of Mexico and Peru, and Other Large Provinces and Territories, with the Several European Plantations in Those Parts. Also Their Cities, Fortresses, Towns, Temples, Mountains, and Rivers. Their Habits, Customs, Manners, and Religions. Their Plants, Beasts, Birds, and Serpents. With an Appendix, Containing, Besides Several Other Considerable Additions, a Brief Survey of What Hath Been Discover'd of the Unknown South-land and the Arctick Region.

by John Ogilby

The Dart-Herb, whose Root bruis’d and apply’d, draws away the Venom of empoyson’d Darts; besides Scolopendria, a sort of Aloes, several kinds of Maidenhair, and other medicinal Herbs.

The Granadilla, or Passion-Flower, growing in several other parts of America, and describ’d elsewhere.

There is also a sort of Pease in some of these Islands, differing from ours, and call’d The Pease of Angola, as first brought from thence. Likewise a sort of Beans call’d The Seven-years Beans, by reason the same Stalk bears seven years one after another.

The Herb call’d The Musk-Herb, from the dusky colour of its Flower, and the sweet scent of the Seed, grows also in these Parts very frequent.

The Pyman, or American Pepper, is the same with that before describ’d under the Name of Axi.

Their Potatoe is a Root not unlike the Topinambous, or Jerusalem-Artichokes, otherwise call’d Saligots, growing plentifully in our Gardens, but more wholsome, and of a better taste.

The Anana’s, or Pine-Apple, accounted a most delicious Fruit, of an admirable sweet scent, and very pleasant to behold, grow not onely plentifully in these Islands, but in most places of America; besides the Sugar-Canes here, and in many other places, but not so generally.

The Plant from which is got the Dying Material call’d Indico, is very different from that which grows in Madagascar, which bears small odoriferous Flowers, of a white and purple Colour mix’d together.

Of these Trees, Herbs, and other Plants, which are produc’d in these Caribbee Islands, some are more peculiarly of the Growth of one Island, some of another; so that we shall have occasion to speak more largely of some of them, when we come to speak of each Island in particular.

The four-footed Beasts found in these Islands, are chiefly the Opassum, the Javaris, the Tatan, the Agouty, and the Musk-Rat, which being all of them no less known in other Parts of the New World, have been already taken notice of, and of which we may have also occasion to treat more at large in the particular Islands, we shall therefore onely name the other Animals, whether Birds, Reptiles, Insects, or Fishes, as partly having been heretofore treated of, and partly to be describ’d hereafter.