The Sea bastard Daffodill (to conclude this Chapter, and the discourse of Daffodils) hath diuers broad whitish greene leaues, but not very long, among which riseth vp a stiffe round stalke, at the top whereof breaketh out of a great round skinny huske, fiue or six flowers, euery one made somewhat of the fashion of the great bastard Rush Daffodill, but greater, and wholly white; the six leaues, being larger and longer then in the Rush kinde, and extending beyond the trunke, are tipt with greene at the point of each leafe, and downe the middle likewise on the backside. The trunke is longer, larger, and wider open at the mouth, cut in or indented at the brims or edges, and small at the bottome, with diuers white threeds in the middle, and is very sweet: vnder the flower is a round greene head, which groweth very great, hauing within it, when it is ripe, flat and blacke seede: the roote is great and white.
Flore luteo, & flore rubro.
It is reported, that there are found other sorts; some that beare yellow flowers, and others that beare red: but we haue seene none such, and therefore I can say no more of them.
The Place.
This kinde groweth neare the Sea side, both in Spaine, Italy, and France, within the Straights, and for the most part, vpon all the Leuant shoare and Islands also, but will seldome either flower, or abide with vs in these colder Countries, as I haue both seene by those that I receiued from a friend, and heard by others.
The Time.
It flowreth in the end of Summer, that is, in August and September.
The Name.
Diuers doe call it Pancratium, as the learned of Mompeher, and others, with the addition of flore Lilij, after they had left their old errour, in taking it to be Scylla, and vsing it for Scylla, in the Trochisces that go into Andromachus Treakle. The learned of Valentia in Spaine, as Clusius saith, doe call it Hemerocallis, thinking it to be a Lilly; and Clusius doth thereupon call it, Hemerocallis Valentina: but in my opinion, all these are deceiued in this plant; for it is neither a Lilly, to haue the name of Hemerocallis giuen vnto it, nor Scylla, nor Pancratium, as many doe yet call it: for certainly this is a kinde of Daffodill; the forme both of roote, leafe, and flower, doth assure me that haue seene it, and not Pancratium, which (as Dioscorides testifieth) is a kinde of Scylla, and in his time called Scylla, with a red roote, and a leafe like a Lilly, but longer, and was vsed both with the same preparation and quantity, and for the same diseases that Scylla was vsed, but that his force was weaker: all which doth plainly shew the errours that many learned men haue been conuersant in, and that all may see how necessary the knowledge of Herbarisme is to the practice of Physicke; And lest the roote of this Sea bastard Daffodill bee vsed in the stead of an wholesome remedy, which (as Clusius maketh mention) was deadly to him that did but cut his meate with that knife, which had immediately before cut this roote, and done in malice by him, that knew the force thereof, to kill his fellow, it working the more forceably by the euill attracting quality of the iron.