4. Abies. The Firre tree.
The Firre tree groweth naturally higher then any other tree in these parts of Christendome where no Cedars grow, and euen equalling or ouer-topping the Pine: the stemme or bodie is bare without branches for a great height, if they bee elder trees, and then branching forth at one place of the bodie foure wayes in manner of a crosse, those boughes againe hauing two branches at euery ioynt, on which are set on all sides very thicke together many small narrow long hard whitish greene leaues, and while they are young tending to yellownesse, but nothing so long or hard or sharpe pointed as the Pine tree leaues, growing smaller and shorter to the end of the branches: the bloomings are certaine small long scaly catkins, of a yellowish colour, comming forth at the ioynts of the branches, which fall away: the cones are smaller and longer then of the Pine tree, wherein are small three square seede contained, not halfe so big as the Pine kernels.
The Vse of the Firre tree.
The vse of this tree is growne with vs of late daies to bee more frequent for the building of houses then euer before: for hereof (namely of Deale timber and Deale boords) are framed many houses, and their floores, without the helpe of any other timber or boord of any other tree almost; as also for many other workes and purposes. The yellow Rossen that is vsed as well to make salues as for many other common vses, is taken from this tree, as the Pitch is both from the Pitch and Pine trees, and is boyled to make it to bee hard, but was at the first a yellow thin cleere Turpentine, and is that best sort of common Turpentine is altogether in vse with vs, as also another more thicke, whitish, and troubled, both which are vsed in salues, both for man and beast (but not inwardly as the cleere white Venice Turpentine is) and serueth both to draw, cleanse and heale. Dodonæus seemeth to say, that the cleere white Turpentine, called Venice Turpentine, is drawn from the Firre: but Matthiolus confuteth that opinion, which Fulsius also held before him.
| 1 | Pinus. The Pine tree. |
| 2 | Abies. The Firre tree. |
| 3 | Ilex. The euer greene Oake. |
| 4 | Cupressus. The Cipresse tree. |
| 5 | Arbutus. The Strawberry tree. |
| 6 | Alaternus. The euer greene Priuet. |
5. Ilex arbor. The euer-greene Oake.
The Ilex or euer-greene Oake riseth in time to be a very great tree, but very long and slow in growing (as is to be seene in the Kings priuy Garden at Whitehall, growing iust against the backe gate that openeth into the way going to Westminster, and in some other places) spreading many fair large great armes and branches, whereon are set small and hard greene leaues, somewhat endented or cornered, and prickly on the edges, especially in the young trees, and sometimes on those branches that are young and newly sprung forth from the elder rootes, but else in a manner all smooth in the elder growne, abiding greene all the winter as well as summer, and are of a grayish greene on the vnderside. It beareth in the spring time certaine slender long branches (like as other Okes doe) with small yellowish mossie flowers on them, which fall away, and are vnprofitable, the acornes not growing from those places, but from others which are like vnto those of our ordinary Oake, but smaller and blacker, and set in a more rugged huske or cuppe. This and no other kinde of Ilex doe I know to grow in all our land in any Garden or Orchard: for that kind with long and narrower leaues, and not prickly, growing so plentifully as Matthiolus saith in Tuscane, I haue not seen: and it is very probable to bee the same that Plinie remembreth to haue the leafe of an Oliue; but not as some would haue it, that Smilax Theophrastus maketh mention of in his third Booke and sixteenth Chapter of his Historie of Plants, which the Arcadians so called, and had the leafe of the Ilex, but not prickly: for Theophrastus saith, the timber of Smilax is smooth and soft, and this of the Ilex is harder, and stronger then an Oake.