OCR Text |
Show Lies Of the Hiftorie of Plants. Irgroweth alfo at S, Crux and otherplaces of Barbarysand alfo in an Ifland of the Mediterranean fea, called Zante, about aday andnights failing with ameane wiride from Petraffe a port in Morca,where my feruant William Mar{hall (ocfore remembred) did fee not only greatftore ofthofe Ciar. 134. Of theprickhFndian Fig tree, fubftance:from whence trees made of leaues, but alfo diuers other roundbodied plants of a woody Fruttys. Ficus Indica. The IndianFig tree. 1513 . of Plants the HiftorieRade Of ieee Oe cen in my hebrought mediuers plants thercofin tubs ofearth, very frefh and greene,which flourifhed garden at the impreffion hereof. Thefruit, @ TheTime. y the relation of my foreThefe plants do grow greene and freth both Winter and Sommer,b ently a faid feruant :notwithftanding they muftbe very carefully kept in thefe countries from the extremitie of Winter. q The Names. . This is thought to be the plant called of Pliny, opuntium ,whereofhe hath written,/:5.21.¢4.17 to be maruclled, inthismanner : About Opuns is the herbe opuntia, to mans ta fte: tweet, and it is cityneere vnto that the root fhould be made ofthe leaues, and thatit (hould fogrow. Opunsisa in Latine, Fras called y commonl is it but ; teftifie Pliny and Strabo, Pan/anias, as Greece, in Phocis IndiIndica - of the'Indians, Tune, and Tunas, and alfo Anapallus,as teftifieth Belon:us: in Englith, an Fig tree. us, lib. 4. which Pliny, There isa certaine orher deferibed for the Indian Fig tree, by Theophraft lib, 12, cap.5. doth eloquently exprefle almoft in the famewords, butturied into Latine, whereof we intendto fpeake in the next chapter. @ The Temperature and Vertuts. plant, Wehaue nocertaine inftrution fromthe Antients, ofthe temperature or faculty ofthis more owne knowledge, orofthé fruit thereof; neither hauewe any thing whereof to write of eur fruithereof,chat it changed than that we haue heardreported of fuchas hauc eaten libetally ofthe their life, their vrine to the colour ofblond ; whoat thefirft fight thereof ftood in great doubtof but the tinthinking it had been bloud, whereas it proued afterwards by experience to be nothing hurtor griefe without ail @ure orcolour the vrine had taken from the inice of the fruit,and that : atall. long contiItis reported offome, that theiuice ofthe fruit is excellent good againft vicers of nuance. peftilent fe+>. Cochenele is giuenalone, and mixed with other things, in maligne difeafes,as uersand the like, but with what fucceffe I know not. + a Cuar.335. q The Defiription? range and admirable plant, called Ficus Indica,feemes tobe no other thing thana mul- aq The Defcription. ation of leaues, that is, a tree made ofleaues, without bod a feeeriilea l round ¢ oth in fhort {pace take root,and bringeth out Fit felfe otherleaues,from whichdo grown 0 ae peeeatertil fuch time as they cometo the height ofa tree, Sora hauing ne ota ab hesas it were comming from thofe leaues, fomerimes mote, other cwer,as Naturelift to beftow, adding leafevato leafe, whereby it occupieth a great piece fetll ofiogdeer,apeodhhpickissontheapoheanerlo A te ee intepach R208 sheitops of which leaues come forth long of ground : thefe Jeaues are long and b ; meththe fruit like vnto the commonFic narro a8 ses a wa . ahi colour :aftermbich an colour,cau a greene aboue,of fluffed full ofa red pulpe andiuice fainine Liked igger Mulberries, dothe touehit,as that am c ee to the with abloudyor fanguine colour; likeaerowne, whereinarealfo conaadGhali ra inet thar ae ey er ie fowne, do bring forth plants round bodied, like ynto ie al : bat are the feeds ithe which being like the other . which being fet in the ground bri oe . ne oh eae — cn +. Vpon this plant in fome Darts of he W. tL. PORNSe. iG vay which ieing ft eft Indies growcertain Py excrefcences, Es apd thel into Infe = e 7 mt > tinuance oftimeturn -! ke ;o a o co e Cub geentn#9 shat High prized Cacheaeed with they dye colours in grainc. t Sid: @ The Place. This plant crow th inall the tiaofthe Eaftand Weft Indies, and alfo in the countrey No rembega, ; othercour England, al clymat. i ica fromwhence it hath beene brought into Italy, Spaine,Englandan¢ ily it fometimes bearethfruit, but more often in Spaine,and neuer as yet 4 rauebeltowed great pains and coft in keeping it from the iniury of ourco Irgroweth Of the arched Indian Fig tree. His rare and admirabletree is very great, ftraight, and couered witha yellowith bark tending very to tawny : the boughes and branchesare many,very long, tough,and flexible, growing ends the long in fhortfpace, as do the twigs of Oziars,and thofe fo long and weake,that thereofhang downe and touchthe ground, where they take root and growin fuchfort, that thofe twigs becomegreattrees :andthefe being growne vp vnto the like greatnefle, doe caft their bran+ itcommethto paffe, that of onc tree is made a great wood or defart oftrees which the Indians do ches or twiggy tendrels vnto the earth, where they likewife takehold and root; by meanes wherof vle for couerture againtt the extremeheate of the Sun, wherewiththeyare grieuoufly vexed:fome likewife vfe them forpleafure, cutting downe by a dire@ line a long walke, oras it were avault, through the thickeft part, from which alfo they cut certaine loope-holes or windowes in fomepla~ tes, tothe end toreceiue thereby the frefh coole aire that entreth thereat, as alfo for light, thar cattell thatfeed thereby, to auoid any dangerthat might happen yato them eirefound or anfwering voice, ifone of them fpeake voto another aloud, that it doth they mayfee their therby the enemie or wilde beafts : from which vault or clofe walke doth rebound fuch an admitableecho or anfer againefoute otfie times, according to the height of thevoice,towhichit doth anfwer,and. firft or mother ofthis wood or that fo plainly, that itcannot be knowneftom the voice it felfe : thegrearneffe of the body, which defart of treesis hard to be knownefrom the children, but by the leaues hard and wrinckled, three men canftarfely fathomabout: vpon the branches whereoferow ofa whitifh hoary colour vaderneath, in fhape like thofe of the Quincetree, greene aboue, and bignes Whereupon the Elephants delight to feed :amongwhich leaues come forth the fruit,of the fiveet ft, ofa fanguine {mall Fig, butbole ues or bloudy colour,and ofa sae ofamans thumbe,i peea Ie. TERRI?n fhape like we |