It flowreth in May, if it be of the first yeares bringing; or in Iune, if it haue been ordered after the manner before set downe.
The Names.
It hath been sent out of Italy by the name of Lilium Alexandrinum, The Lilly of Alexandria, but it hath no affinity with any Lilly. Others call it Hyacinthus Arabicus; and the Italians, Iacintho del pater nostro; but it is no Iacinth neither, although the flowers be like some of them. Some also would referre it to a Narcissus or Daffodill, and it doth as little agree with it, as with a Lilly, although his flowers in largenesse and whitenesse resemble a Daffodill. Clusius hath most fitly referred it to the stocke or kindred of Ornithogala, or Starres of Bethlehem, as wee call them in English, and from the Turkish name, Zumbul Arabi, entituled it Ornithogalum Arabicum, although Zumbul, as I haue before declared, is with them, a Iacinth, wee may call it in English, The Arabian Starre-flower, or Starre of Bethlehem, or the great Starre-flower of Arabia.
{Starre-flowers}
1. Ornithogalum maximum album. The greatest white Starre-flower, or Starre of Bethlehem.
This great Starre-flower hath many faire, broad, long, and very fresh green leaues, rising vp very early, and are greater, longer, and greener then the leaues of any Orientall Iacinth, which doe abide greene, from the beginning or middle of Ianuary, or before sometimes, vntill the end of May, at which time they begin to fade, and the stalke with the head of flowers beginneth to rise, so that it will haue either few or no leaues at all, when the flowers are blowne: the stalke is strong, round, and firme, rising two foote high or more, bearing at the toppe a great bush of flowers, seeming at the first to be a great greene eare of corne, for it is made spike-fashion, which when the flowers are blowne, doth rise to be very high, slender or small at the head aboue, and broad spread and bushing below, so that it is long in flowring; for they flower below first, and so vpwards by degrees: these flowers are snow white, without any line on the backside, and is therein like vnto the former, as also in whitenesse, but nothing so large, with a white vmbone or head in the middle, beset with many white threeds, tipt with yellow: the seede is blacke and round, contained in three square heads: the roote is great, thicke, and short, and somewhat yellowish on the outside, with a flat bottome, both like the former, and next that followeth.
2. Ornithogalum maius spicatum album. The great white spiked Starre-flower.
This spiked Starre-flower in his growing, is somewhat like vnto the last described, but springeth not vp so early, nor hath his leaues so greene, or large, but hath broad, long, whitish greene hollow leaues, pointed at the end, among which riseth vp the stalke, which is strong and high, as the former, hauing a great bush of flowers at the toppe, standing spike-fashion, somewhat like the former, flowring in the same maner by degrees, first below, and so vpwards; but it is not so thicke set with flowers, nor so farre spread at the bottome as it, the flowers also are not so white, and each of the leaues of them haue a greene line downe the backe, leauing the edges on both sides white: after the flowers are past, the heads for seede grow three square, like the other, bearing such like blacke seede therein: the roote hereof is vsually bigger then the last, and whiter on the outside.
3. Ornithogalum Pannonicum. The Hungarian Starre-flower.
This Hungarian Starre-flower shooteth out diuers narrow, long, whitish greene leaues, spread vpon the ground before Winter, which are very like vnto the leaues of Gilloflowers, and so abide aboue the ground, hauing a stalke rising in the middle of them the next Spring, about halfe a foote high or thereabouts, bearing many white flowers at the toppe, with greene lines downe the backe of them, very like vnto the ordinary Starres of Bethlehem: the roote is greater, thicker, and longer then the ordinary Starres, and for the most part, two ioyned together, somewhat grayish on the outside.