The Time.
They flower in Aprill for the most part, and sometimes in May.
The Names.
Because the first is more frequent in England, then in Spaine or the Lowe-Countries, it is called with vs Hyacinthus Anglicus, The English Iacinth; but it is also called as well Belgicus, as Hispanicus: yet Dodonæus calleth it Hyacinthus non scriptus, because it was not written of by any Authour before himselfe. It is generally knowne in England by the name of Hare-bels. The other Spanish Iacinth beareth his name in his title.
Hyacinthus Eriophorus. The Woolly Iacinth.
This Woolly Iacinth hath many broad, long, and faire greene leaues, very like vnto some of the Iacinths, but stiffer, or standing more vpright, which being broken, doe yeeld many threeds, as if a little fine cotton wooll were drawne out: among these leaues riseth vp a long greene round stalke, a foote and a halfe high or more, whereon is set a great long bush of flowers, which blowing open by degrees, first below, and so vpwards, are very long in flowring: the toppe of the stalke, with the flowers, and their little footstalkes, are all blew, euery flower standing outright with his stalke, and spreading like a starre, diuided into six leaues, hauing many small blew threeds, standing about the middle head, which neuer gaue ripe seede, as farre as I can heare of: the root is white, somewhat like the root of a Muscari, but as full of wooll or threeds, or rather more, then the leaues, or any other part of it.
The Place.
This hath been sent diuers times out of Turkie into England, where it continued a long time as well in my Garden as in others, but some hard frosty Winters caused it to perish with me, and diuers others, yet I haue had it againe from a friend, and doth abide fresh and greene euery yeare in my Garden.