Although neither the manured Line or Flaxe is a plant fit for our Garden, nor many of the wilde sorts, yet there are some, whose pleasant and delightfull aspect doth entertaine the beholders eyes with good content, and those I will set downe here for varietie, and adioyne vnto them some of the Linarias, or Tode Flaxe, for the neare affinity with them.
1. Linum siluestre flore albo. Wilde Flaxe with a white flower.
This kinde of wilde Flaxe riseth vp with diuers slender branches, a foote high or better, full of leaues, standing without order, being broader and longer then the manured Flaxe: the tops of the branches haue diuers faire white flowers on them, composed of fiue large leaues a peece, with many purple lines or strikes in them: the seede vessell as well as the seede, is like vnto the heads and seede of the manured Flaxe: the rootes are white strings, and abide diuers yeares, springing fresh branches and leaues euery yeare, but not vntill the Spring of the yeare.
2. Linum siluestre luteum. Wilde Flaxe with a yellow flower.
This wilde Flaxe doth so well resemble a kinde of St. Iohns wort, that it will soone deceiue one that doth not aduisedly regard it: For it hath many reddish stalkes, and small leaues on them, broader then the former wilde Flaxe, but not so long, which are well stored with yellow flowers, as large as the former, made of fiue leaues a peece, which being past, there come small flattish heads, containing blackish seede, but not shining like the former: the rootes hereof dye not euery yeare, as many other of the wilde kindes doe, but abide and shoote out euery yeare.
3. Linaria purpurea. Purple Tode Flaxe.
This purple Tode Flaxe hath diuers thicke, small, long, and somewhat narrowish leaues, snipt about the edges, of a whitish greene colour, from among which rise vp diuers stalkes, replenished at the tops with many small flowers, standing together one aboue another spike-fashion, which are small and somewhat sweete, while they are fresh, fashioned somewhat like the common Tode flaxe that groweth wilde abroad almost euery where, but much smaller, with a gaping mouth, but without any crooked spurre behinde, like vnto them, sometimes of a sad purple neare vnto a Violet, and sometimes of a paler blew colour, hauing a yellow spot in the middle or gaping place: after the flowers are past, there come small, hard, round heads, wherein are contained small, flat, and grayish seede: the roote is small and perisheth for the most part euery yeare, and will spring againe of it owne sowing, if it be suffered to shed it selfe, yet some hard Winters haue killed the seede it should seeme, in that sometimes it faileth to spring againe, and therefore had neede to be sowne anew in the Spring.
4. Linaria purpurea odorata. Sweete purple Tode Flaxe.
The lower leaues of this purple Tode Flaxe are nothing like any of the rest, but are long and broad, endented about the edges, somewhat resembling the leaues of the greater wilde white Daisie: the stalke is set at the bottome with such like leaues, but a little more diuided and cut in, and still smaller and smaller vpward, so that the vppermost leaues are very like the common Tode Flaxe, the toppe whereof is branched, hauing diuers small flowers growing along vpon then, in fashion and colour almost like the last described Tode Flaxe, but not altogether so deepe a purple: the heads and seedes are very like the former, but that the seede of this is reddish; the flowers in their naturall hot Countries haue a fine sent, but in these colder, little or none at all: the rootes are small and threadie, and perish after they haue flowred and seeded.
