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Show aem caeae ee in ea Lisia Qfthe Hiftorie! of Plants. 40 CHar. 33: om’? Lis.t i 20 fie. The root confifterh ofmany ftrings folding one within another, by meanes whercofit commethto the formeof a tuffe or haffocke. © h, not much vn{omewhat triangular and ‘fnoorh, ; 1 ofimahy fring’, compact oftiany fe ae ofroots . fromatuft NS g eSTSB Cati-taule, :Dann thofeof ike ence Ee ix oF ttea nies amoneff thewhich it fhooteth vp nyo or three bi ees a tuft or, bundle ftands. there hereof hereo vy 2 thetop at ewate water, hi its highabou e the feuen cubits . z hee 41 forth ofa fheath or huske, among the which chaffie huskes is contained the feed, lorig and chaf- Of Paper Reed. ie-leaues : Ofthe Hiftory of Plants. 1 Spartum Pliny Clufio. Plinies Mat-Weed. 2 Spartum alserum Pling. Hooded Mat-Weed. of clidite owers, but barren and voidoffeed. a Fhe gh 5 wie eesgions aes ee threds fer incomely order, refembling 4 tuft offloy Papyrus Nilotioa. Paper Reed. Shaece setacattans NRT BER other CSURLEE places. Sire in the riuer Nilus, andfiich of thofe countries. & Thetime. Thetimeof fpringing andflourifhingan- fwereth that of the commonReed. q 7 he names. This kinde of Reed which I haue Englifhed Paper Reed,or Paper plant,is the fame (asIdo reade) that Paper was made ofin Aigypt, before the inuention of paper made oflinnen clouts was found out? It is thought »-by menof great learning and vnderftanding in the Scriptures, and fet downe by them for truth, that this\plantis the fame Reed mentioned in the fecond chapter of Exodus ; whereof was*made that basket,or cradle, which was dawbed within and without with flime ofthat countrey, called Bitumen Iudai- cum, wherein'Mofes was put bein commit- ted to the waterjywhen Pharach gaue commandementthatall the male children of rhe Hebrewes fhould be drowned. G Thenature, vertues, andvufe. The roots of PaperReed doenourith 5 as may appearé-by the people of Agyptiwhich lo vfe to chew. themin their mouthes 5 and. {wallow downe the juice, finding thereifi great delight and comfort, ; Theathes burned affiyage and confume!hard apoftumes, tumors, and corrafiue vicersin any part of the body, but chictely in the month. ~The burnt paper made hereofdothpetforme thofe effe sore forcibly. Theftalkes hereofhaue a fingular vfe and priviledge in opening the chanels or hollow. paffae ges of a Fiftula,being put therein ; for'they do‘fwellas doth the pith ofHlderoratent made of a {ponge. The people about Nilus do vfe toburne'the feaiies and ftalkes, but efpegially the root? Thefrailes wherein they put Raifins aid Figs'arefometimes made hereof ; but generally wih the herbe Spartums, defcribed in the nexr Chapter, 2 The fecond likewife Pliny defcribethto have a long ftalke not muchvnlike toReed, bute leffer, whereupon do grow many graffie leaues, rough and pliant, hard in handling as are the Ruthes. A fpokie chaffie tuft groweth at the top ofthe ftalke,comming forth of a hood or fi« newie fheath,fuchas enclofeth the flowers of Onions, Leekes, Narciffus,and fuch like , before they come to flowring, with feed androots like the precedent. 3 Englith Mat-weed hatha ruthie toot, deepely creeping and growing in heapesof fand and grauell, from the whicharife ftiffe and fharpe pointedleaues a footanda halfe long, ofa whitith colour, very much refembling thofe of Camels hay. The ftalke growethto the height of a cubit or more, whereupon doth growa {pike t or eare of fome fiue or fix inches long, fomwhat tefembling Rie ; itis the thicknefle ofa finger in the midft,and fmaller towards both theends. The feed is browne,as {mall as Canarie feed,but round,and fomewhat fharpe at the one end +. Ofthis plant neither Sheepe nor any other Cattle will tafte or cate. 4 The other Englifh Mat-Weedis like vnto the former, fauing that the roots of this are long,not vnlike to Dogs Graffe, but donotthrutt deepeinto the ground, but ereepe onely vider the vpper cruftofthe earth. The tuftorcareis fhortc r, and more refembling the head ofCanary Craregqe feed than that ofRie. OPALat-Weed. $5 Lobell viuesa figure ofanother fmaller Ruth, leaued Spartum, with {mall heads, but hee hath not defcribedit in his Latine Workes,fo that I can fay nothing certainly of it. . § To this kindred muft be addedthe Feathered Graffe, thoughnot partaking with the former The kindes: There be diucrs kindes of Mat-yyéeds) as fhalbbe declared itrtheir feietall defcriptions: ; Fite The defcription. He herbe Spartum,as Plinyleaues faith, crowethofit elfe, and fendeth forth from the root a multitude of {lender ruthie ofa eubit hich, or higher, tough andpliable, of a whitifh colour, which in time draweth nasrow together, makitig the fat leafe’to” become round, as isthe¢Ruth. The ftub or ftalke thereofbeareth at the top certaine feather-like tufts comming mi , orth in place ofgrowth. Nowit hath many {mall leanes ofa foots length round,green,a nd fharp poi ted, not muchin formevulike the firdeferibed Mat-weed,but muchleffe : among ft thefeleaues rife vp manyfinall ftalkes not exededing, the height ofthe leaues, which bearea {pike valike the foreme tioned Mat-weeds, hauing 3 orfoure feeds endingin,orfending vp very fine white Bea- t clembling the {maller fortof feathers of the wings of the Bird of Paradife. The root con- ofmany fmall graffie fibres. D q The |