The first is vsually called Geranium tuberosum, of some Geranium bulbosum, of the likenesse of the roote vnto a bulbe: It is without controuersie Geranium primum of Dioscorides. The second is called Geranium Gratia Dei, of others, Geranium cæruleum. The blew Cranes bill Lobel calleth it Batrachoides, because both leafe and flower are like vnto a Crowfoote; and the affinity with the Cranes bils in the seede causeth it rather to be referred to them then to the Crowfeete. The stript Cranes bill is called by some Geranium Romanum. The last sauing one is called Geranium Hæmatodes, or Sanguineum, of Lobel Geranium Gruinale Hæmatodes supinum radice repente. In English it may be called after the Greek and Latine, The bloudy Cranes bill, but I rather call it, The Rose Cranes bill, because the flowers are as large as single Roses, or as the Rose Campion. Some of them are called in many places of England Bassinets.
The Vertues.
All the kindes of Cranes bils are accounted great wound herbes, and effectuall to stay bleedings, yet some more than others. The Emperickes of Germanie, as Camerarius saith, extoll it wonderfully, for a singular remedie against the Stone, both in the reines and bladder.
Chap. XXXI.
Sanicula guttata maior. Spotted Sanicle.
Hauing long debated with my selfe, where to place this & the other plants that follow in the [two next Chapters], I haue thought it not amisse for this worke to set them downe here, both before the Beares eares, which are kindes of Sanicle, as the best Authors doe hold, and after the Cranes bils, both for some qualities somewhat resembling them, and for some affinity of the flowers with the former.
The spotted Sanicle hath many small round leaues, bluntly endented about the edges, somewhat like vnto the leaues of our white Saxifrage, of a full greene colour aboue, and whitish hairy, and somewhat reddish withall vnderneath: the stalkes are set here and there with the like leaues, rising a foote and a halfe high or more, very much diuided at the toppe into sundry small branches, bearing many very small white flowers, consisting of fiue small leaues, wherein are many small red spots to be seene, as small as pins points, of a pretty sweete sent, almost like Hawthorne flowers, in the middle whereof are many small threads compassing a head, which when it is ripe containeth small blacke seede: the roote is scaly, or couered with a chaffie matter, hauing many small white fibres vnderneath, whereby it is fastened in the ground.
Minor non guttata.
There is another of this kinde, like both in roote, leafe, and flower to the former, the onely difference is, that this is lesser then the former, and hath no spots in the flower, as the other hath.