That the roots of Tulipas are nourishing, there is no doubt, the pleasant, or at least the no vnpleasant taste, may hereunto perswade; for diuers haue had them sent by their friends from beyond Sea, and mistaking them to bee Onions, haue vsed them as Onions in their pottage or broth, and neuer found any cause of mislike, or any sense of euill quality produced by them, but accounted them sweete Onions.
Further, I haue made tryall of them my selfe in this manner. I haue preserued the rootes of these Tulipas in Sugar, as I haue done the rootes of Eringus, Orchis, or any other such like, and haue found them to be almost as pleasant as the Eringus rootes, being firme and sound, fit to be presented to the curious; but for force of Venereous quality, I cannot say, either from my selfe, not hauing eaten many, or from any other, on whom I haue bestowed them: but surely, if there be any speciall propertie in the rootes of Orchis, or some other tending to that purpose, I thinke this may as well haue it as they. It should seeme, that Dioscorides doth attribute a great Venereous faculty to the seede, whereof I know not any hath made any especiall experiment with vs as yet.
Chap. IX.
Narcissus. The Daffodill.
There hath beene great confusion among many of our moderne Writers of plants, in not distinguishing the manifold varieties of Daffodils; for euery one almost, without consideration of kinde or forme, or other speciall note, giueth names so diuersly one from another, that if any one shall receiue from seuerall places the Catalogues of their names (as I haue had many) as they set them down, and compare the one Catalogue with the other, he shall scarce haue three names in a dozen to agree together, one calling that by one name, which another calleth by another, that very few can tell what they meane. And this their confusion, in not distinguishing the name of Narcissus from Pseudonarcissus, is of all other in this kinde the greatest and grossest errour. To auoide therefore that gulfe, whereof I complaine that so manie haue bin endrenched; and to reduce the Daffodils into such a methodicall order, that euery one may know, to what Classis or forme any one doth appertaine, I will first diuide them into two principall or primary kindes: that is, into Narcissos, true Daffodils, and Pseudonarcissos, bastard Daffodils: which distinction I hold to be most necessarie to be set downe first of all, that euery one may be named without confusion vnder his owne primary kind, and then to let the other parts of the subdiuision follow, as is proper to them, and fittest to expresse them. Now to cause you to vnderstand the difference betweene a true Daffodill and a false, is this; it consisteth onely in the flower, (when as in all other parts they cannot bee distinguished) and chiefly in the middle cup or chalice; for that we doe in a manner onely account those to bee Pseudonarcissos, bastard Daffodils, whose middle cup is altogether as long, and sometime a little longer then the outter leaues that doe encompasse it, so that it seemeth rather like a trunke or long nose, then a cup or chalice, such as almost all the Narcissi, or true Daffodils haue; I say almost, because I know that some of them haue their middle cup so small, that we rather call it a crowne then a cup; and againe, some of them haue them so long, that they may seem to be of the number of the Pseudonyms, or bastard Daffodils: but yet may easily be knowne from them, in that, although the cup of some of the true Daffodils be great, yet it is wider open at the brim of edge, and not so long and narrow all alike as the bastard kindes are; and this is the chiefe and onely way to know how to seuer these kindes, which rule holdeth certaine in all, except that kinde which is called Narcissus Iuncifolius reflexo flore, whose cup is narrow, and as long as the leaues that turne vp againe.
Secondly, I will subdiuide each of these again apart by themselues, into foure sorts; and first the Narcissos, or true Daffodils into
- Latifolios, broad leafed Daffodils.
- Angustifolios, narrow leafed Daffodils.
- Iuncifolios, Rushe Daffodils, and
- Marinos, Sea Daffodils.
These sorts againe doe comprehend vnder them some other diuisions, whereby they may the better be distinguished, and yet still bee referred to one of those foure former sorts: as
- Monanthos, that is, Daffodils that beare but one flower, or two at the most vpon a stalke, and
- Polyanthos, those that beare many flowers together vpon a stalke: as also
- Simplici flore, those that beare single flowers, and
- Multiplici flore, or flore pleno, that is, haue double flowers.
- Vernales, those that flower in the Spring, and among them some that are earlier; and therefore called
- Præcoces, early flowring Daffodils, and
- Autumnales, those that flower in Autumne onely.