Costæus saith hee hath often seene, that the leaues of Perwinkle held in the mouth, hath stayed the bleeding at the nose. The French doe vse it to stay the menstruall fluxes. The other are causticke plants, that is, fiery hot, and blistering the skinne; and therefore (as Dioscorides saith) is profitable to take away the scurfe, leprye, or such like deformities of the skin. What property that of Virginia hath, is not knowne to any with vs I thinke, more then that the liquor in the greene fruit is pleasant in taste; but assuredly it cannot be without some speciall properties, if they were knowne.
Chap. CIII.
Chamælæa. Dwarfe Spurge Oliue, or Dwarfe Baye.
I haue three sorts of Chamælæa to bring to your consideration, euery one differing notably from other; two of them of great beauty in their flowers, as well as in the whole plant: the third abiding with greene leaues, although it haue no beauty in the flower, yet worthy of the place it holds. And vnto these I must adioyne another plant, as comming nearest vnto them in the brauery of the flowers.
1. Chamælæa Germanica siue Mezereon floribus dilutioris coloris & saturatioris. Dwarfe Bay, or flowring Spurge Oliue.
We haue two sorts of this Spurge Oliue or Dwarfe Baye, differing onely in the colour of the flowers. They both rise vp with a thicke wooddy stemme, fiue or six foot high sometimes, or more, and of the thicknesse (if they be very old) of a mans wrest at the ground, spreading into many flexible long branches, couered with a tough grayish barke, beset with small long leaues, somewhat like vnto Priuet leaues, but smaller and paler, and in a manner round pointed: the flowers are small, consisting of foure leaues, many growing together sometimes, and breaking out of the branches by themselues: in the one sort of a pale red at the first blowing, and more white afterwards; the other of a deeper red in the blossome, and continuing of a deeper red colour all the time of the flowring, both of them very sweete in smell: after the flowers are past, come the berries, which are greene at the first, and very red afterwards, turning blackish red, if they stand too long vpon the branches: the rootes spread into many tough long branches, couered with a yellowish barke.
2. Chamælæa Alpina. Mountaine Spurge Oliue.
This Mountaine Laurell riseth vp with a small wooddy stemme, three or foure foot high, or more, branching forth towards the vpper parts into many slender and tough branches, couered with a rough hoary greene barke, beset at the ends thereof with flatter, fuller, and smaller round pointed leaues then the former, of a grayish greene colour on the vpperside, and hoary vnderneath, which abide on the branches in Winter, and fall not away as the former: the flowers are many set together at the ends of the branches, greater then the former, and consisting of foure leaues a peece, of a light blush colour, standing in small grayish huskes, of little or no sent at all: the fruit followeth, which are small long graines or berries, of an excellent red colour, which afterwards turne blacke: the roote is long, and spreadeth about vnder the vpper part of the earth.