The leaues of this soft and gentle Thistle that are next vnto the ground, are greene on the vpperside, and hoary vnderneath, broad at the bottome, somewhat long pointed, and vneuenly notched about the edges, with some soft hairie prickles, not hurting the handler, euery one standing vpon a short foote-stalke; those that growe about the middle stalke are like the former, but smaller and narrower, and those next the toppe smallest, where it diuideth it selfe into small branches, bearing long and scaly heads, out of which breake many reddish purple threads: the seede is whitish and hard, almost as great as the seede of the greater Centory: the roote is blackish, spreading vnder the ground, with many small fibres fastened vnto it, and abideth a great while.
5. Carlina humilis. The lowe Carline Thistle.
This lowe Thistle hath many iagged leaues, of a whitish greene Colour, armed with small sharp white prickles round about the edges, lying round about the root vpon the ground, in the middle whereof riseth vp a large head, without any stalke vnder it, compassed about with many small and long prickly leaues, from among which the flower sheweth it selfe, composed of many thin, long, whitish, hard shining leaues, standing about the middle, which is flat and yellow, made of many thrums or threads like small flowers, wherein lye small long seede, of a whitish or siluer colour: the roote is somewhat aromaticall, blackish on the outside, small and long, growing downewards into the ground. There is another of this kinde that beareth a higher stalke, and a redder flower, but there is a manifest difference betweene them.
6. Carduus Sphærocephalus siue Globosus maior. The greater Globe Thistle.
The greatest of these beautifull Thistles, hath at the first many large and long leaues lying on the ground, very much cut in and diuided in many places, euen to the middle ribbe, set with small sharpe (but not very strong) thornes or prickles at euery corner of the edges, greene on the vpperside, and whitish vnderneath: from the middle of these leaues riseth vp a round stiffe stalke, three foote and a halfe high, or more, set without order with such like leaues, bearing at the toppe of euery branch a round hard great head, consisting of a number of sharpe bearded huskes, compact or set close together, of a blewish greene colour, out of euery one of which huskes start small whitish blew flowers, with white threads in the middle of them, and rising aboue them, so that the heads when they are in full flower, make a fine shew, much delighting the spectators: after the flowers are past, the seede encreaseth in euery one, or the most part of the bearded huskes, which doe still hold their round forme, yntill that being ripe it openeth it selfe, and the huskes easily fall away one from another, containing within them a long whitish kernell: the roote is great and long, blackish on the outside, and dyeth euery yeare when it hath borne seede.
7. Carduus Globosus minor. The lesser Globe Thistle.
The lesser kinde hath long narrow leaues, whiter then the former, but cut in and gashed on the edges very much with some small prickes on them; the stalke is not halfe so long, nor the heads halfe so great, but as round, and with as blew flowers as the greater: this seldome giueth ripe seede, but recompenseth that fault, in that the roote perisheth not as the former, but abideth many yeares.
8. Carduus Eriocephalus siue Tomentosus. The Friers Crowne.
This woolly Thistle hath many large and long leaues lying on the ground, cut in on both sides into many diuisions, which are likewise somewhat vnequally cut in or diuided againe, hauing sharpe white prickles at euery corner of the diuisions, of a dead or sad greene colour on the vpperside, and somewhat woolly withall, and grayish vnderneath: the stalke is strong and tall, foure or fiue foote high at the least, branching out into diuers parts, euery where beset with such like leaues as growe below; at the toppe of euery branch there breaketh out a great whitish round prickly head, flattish at the toppe, so thicke set with wooll, that the prickles seeme but small spots or haires, and doth so well resemble the bald crowne of a Frier, not onely before it be in flower, but especially after it hath done flowring, that thereupon it deseruedly receiued the name of the Friers Crowne Thistle: out of these heads riseth forth a purple thrumme, such as is to be seene in many other wilde Thistles, which when they are ripe, are full of a flockie or woolly substance, which breake at the toppe shedding it, and the seede which is blackish, flat, and smooth: the roote is great and thicke, enduring for some yeares, yet sometimes perishing, if it be too much exposed to the violence of the frosts in Winter.