Chap. XCVII.
Digitalis. Foxegloue.
There are three principall sorts of Foxegloues, a greater, a middle or meane sort, and a lesser, and of them, three especiall colours, that is, purple, white, and yellow; the common purple kinde that groweth abroad in the fields, I leaue to his wilde habitation: and of the rest as followeth.
1. Digitalis maxima ferruginea. Dun coloured Foxegloues.
The leaues of this Foxegloue are long and large, of a grayish green colour, finely cut or dented about the edges, like the teeth of a fine sawe; among which commeth vp a strong tall stalke, which when it was full growne, and with ripe seede thereon, I haue measured to be seuen foot high at the least, whereon grow an innumerable company (as I may so say, in respect of the aboundance) of flowers, nothing so large as the common purple kinde, that groweth wilde euery where in our owne Countrey, and of a kinde of browne or yellowish dunne colour, with a long lippe at euery flower; after them come seede, like the common kinde, but in smaller heads: the rootes are stringie like the ordinary, but doe vsually perish, or seldome abide after it hath giuen seed.
| 1 | Canna Indica. The Indian Reed. |
| 2 | Mandragoras mas. The male Mandrake. |
| 3 | Pomum amoris maius. Great Apples of loue. |
| 4 | Digitalis maior flore luteo amplo. The great yellow Foxegloue. |
| 5 | Digitalis media flore luteo rubente. Orenge tawny Foxegloues. |
| 6 | Digitalis maxima ferruginea. Dun coloured Foxegloues. |
2. Digitalis maior flore carneo. Blush coloured Foxegloues.
This kinde of Foxegloues hath reasonable large leaues, yet not altogether so large as the common field kinde: the flowers are also smaller then the common sort, but of a blush colour.
3. Digitalis media flore luteo rubente. Orenge tawnie Foxegloue.
As this Foxegloue is none of the greatest, so also is it none of the smallest; but a sort betweene both, hauing leaues in some proportion correspondent to the lesser yellow Foxegloue, but not so large as the lesser white: the flowers are long and narrow, almost as large as the last white, but nothing so large as the first white, of a faire yellowish browne colour, as if the yellow were ouershadowed with a reddish colour, and is that colour wee vsually call an Orenge tawnie colour: the seede is like the former: the rootes perish euery yeare that they beare seede, which is vsually the second yeare of the springing.