It flowreth from the end of May vntill Iuly, if it haue had greene leaues all the Winter, or otherwise, vntill the Winter checke his luxuriousnesse.
The Names.
Vnto this plant I confesse I first imposed the name, by considering duely all the parts thereof, which vntill some can finde a more proper, I desire may still continue, and to call it Ephemerum Virginianum Tradescanti, Iohn Tradescante’s Spider-wort of Virginia, or Phalangium Ephemerum Virginianum, The soone fading or Day Spider-wort of Virginia.
The Vertues.
There hath not beene any tryall made of the properties since wee had it, nor doe we know whether the Indians haue any vse thereof.
Chap. XVI.
Colchicum. Medowe Saffron.
To returne to the rest of the bulbous and tuberous rooted plants, that remaine to bee entreated of, the Colchica or Medowe Saffrons are first to bee handled, whereof these later dayes haue found out more varieties, then formerly were knowne; some flowring in the Spring, but the most in Autumne, and some bearing double, but the greatest part single flowers: whereof euery one in their order, and first of our owne Country kindes.
1. Colchicum Anglicum album. The white English Medowe Saffron.
It is common to all the Medowe Saffrons, except that of the Spring, and one other, to beare their flowers alone in Autumne or later, without any green leaues with them, and afterwards in February, their greene leaues: So that I shall not neede to make manie descriptions, but to shew you the differences that consist in the leaues, and colours of the flowers; and briefly to passe (after I haue giuen you a full description of the first) from one vnto another, touching onely those things that are note worthy. The white English Medowe Saffron then doth beare in Autumne three or foure flowers at the most, standing seuerally vpon weake foote-stalkes, a fingers length or more aboue the ground, made of six white leaues, somewhat long and narrow, and not so large as most of the other kindes, with some threeds or chiues in the middle, like vnto the Saffron flowers of the Spring, wherein there is no colour of Saffron, or vertue to that effect: after the flowers are past and gone, the leaues doe not presently follow, but the roote remaineth in the ground without shew of leafe aboue ground, most part of the Winter, and then in February there spring vp three or foure large and long greene leaues, when they are fully growne vp, standing on the toppe of a round, weake, green, and short foote-stalke, somewhat like the leaues of white Lillies, but not so large, and in the middest of these leaues, after they haue been vp some time, appeare two or three loose skinny heads, standing in the middle of the leaues vpon short, thicke, greene stalkes, and being ripe, conteine in them round small brownish seede, that lye as it were loose therein, and when the head is dry, may bee heard to rattle being shaken: the roote is white within, but couered with a thicke blackish skinne or coate, hauing one side thereof at the bottome longer then the other, with an hollownesse also on the one side of that long eminence, where the flowers rise from the bottome, and shooting downe from thence a number of white fibres, whereby it is fastened in the ground: the greene leaues afterwards rising from the top or head of the roote.