The Names.
The first that hath made mention of this Daffodill, was Matthiolus, who placed it in the third place among his Daffodils, and is most vsually now adayes called Narcissus tertius Matthioli, Matthiolus his third Daffodill, the rather, because Clusius vpon a more mature deliberation, first referred it thereunto, but called it at the first, Lilionarcissus Hemerocallidis facie, and, as hee saith, Iacobus Plateau (who first sent him the figure hereof, with the description) called it Lilionarcissus Orientalis, but Clusius vpon certaine information, that it grew in the places aforesaid, misliked the name of Orientalis, and added Hemerocallis, which yet is not fit, for that his Hemerocallis Valentina, is a plaine Pancration or Sea bastard Daffodill, whose middle cup is longer then the cup of any true Daffodill, which (as I said in the [beginning of this Chapter]) is the chiefest note of difference, betweene a true and a bastard Daffodill. I receiued the seede of this Daffodill among many other seedes of rare plants, from the liberality of Mʳ. Doctor Flud, one of the Physitians of the Colledge in London, who gathered them in the Vniuersity Garden at Pisa in Italy, and brought them with him, returning home from his trauailes into those parts, by the name of Martagon rarissimum, (and hauing sowne them, expected fourteene yeares, before I saw them beare a flower, which the first yeare that it did flower, bore foure stalkes of flowers, with euery one of them eight or ten flowers on them) which of all other names, doth least answer the forme or qualities of this plant. It may most fitly be called Narcissus marinus maximus, in English, The great Sea Daffodill, both because it is a true Daffodill, and the greatest of all other, and also because it hath not been found, but in Islands, or else in other places neare the Sea. Lobelius entituleth it Pancratium Indicum alterum vernum, siue Narcissus Indicus alter facie Pancratij Monspeliaci, but all this is wide from the matter, as may easily be known, by that that hath been said before. It is generally (as I said before) called of all Narcissus tertius Matthioli, Matthiolus his third Daffodill, which may either so passe with vs, or as I called it, The great Sea Daffodill, which you will, & so Clusius doth lastly entitle it.
| 1 | Narcissus tertius Matthioli. The great white Sea Daffodill. |
| 2 | Narcissus Indicus Autumnalis. The Indian Autumne Daffodill. |
| 3 | Narcissus marinus Africanus. The Sea Daffodill of Africa. |
| 4 | Narcissus marinus exoticus. The strange Sea Daffodill. |
{Sea Daffodils and the Indian Autumne Daffodill}
1. Pancratium Indicum, aut Narcissus Indicus Autumnalis quorundam Lobelij. The Indian Autumne Daffodill of Lobel.
This plant hath in my opinion, a farre nearer resemblance vnto an Hyacinthus, then vnto any Daffodill: But because Lobel hath so set it forth, I will so publish it vnto you, leauing it to iudgement. The roote is, as he saith, a span long, and of the thicknesse of a mans arme, couered with many white shells, whereof the outermost are of a darke red or Chestnut colour: the flowers rise vp in September and October, being eight or ten in number, euery one by it selfe vpon a small footstalke, made of six leaues a peece, somewhat long, narrow, and pointed, like vnto the flowers of the English Colchicum, or Medowe Saffron, of a whitish yellow dunne colour, with six long threads in the middle: the greene leaues are long and broad, and broad pointed.
2. Narcissus Marinus Africanus, siue Exoticus Lobelij. The Sea Daffodill of Africa.
The roote of this strange plant (which of some likenesse is called a Daffodill) is very great, made as it were of many scaly cloues, from whence riseth vp a small short stalke, bearing hard aboue the ground two faire broad greene pointed leaues, more long then broad, so compassing the stalke at the bottome, that it seemeth to run through them: the stalke is spotted with diuers discoloured spots, and is bare or naked from these two leaues vnto the toppe, where it beareth one faire double flower, like vnto a double Anemone, of a delayed reddish colour, tending to a blush, with many threads set about the middle head.