Chap. 161. Of Cranes-bill Crowfoot.
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Page 266I. The Names. It is called in Greek, τ%φι* A (ZttTfttyioeifif : In Latin, Geranium Batrachioides, Gratia' Dei Fuchfij, Ranunculus cceruleus : and in English, Crowfoot Cranes-bill. '
II. The Kinds. There are fix several kinds hereof, Ii Geranium Batrachioides flore Caruleo, Blew Crowfoot Cranes-bill. 2. Geranium Batrachioides flore albo, White Crowfoot Cranes-bill. 3. Geranium Batrachioides alter urn, flore purpureo, Purple Crowfoot Cranes-bill. 4. Geranium Batrachioides, pullo flore, Dark Red Crowfoot Canes-bill. 5. Geranium Batrachioides flore albo Cf Cceruleo vario, Party colored Crowfoot Cranes-bill. 6. Geranium Batrachioides longius radicatum Lobelij, Long Rooted Crowfoot Cranes-bill.
III. The Descriptions. The first, or Blew Crowfoot Cranes-bill, has a Root which is composed of many reddish firings, spreading in the Ground, from a head made of divers red heads, which lye oftentimes above ground, from this Root spring forth many large Leaves, cut into jive or fix parts or divisions, even to the bottom, and jagged also on the edges, set upon very long slender Loot stalks, very like to the Leaves of the Field Crowfoot: from among which Leaves divers Stalks spring up with great joints, somewhat reddish, set with Leaves like to the first Garden land : The Stalks towards their Tops spread them-selves into many Branches, on which grow several Flowers, made of five Leaves apiece, as large as any of the Field Crowfoot, round pointed, and of a fair Blew, or Watchet color, which being past, such like heads and bills do succeed, as are found in other Cranes-bills.
IV. The second, or White Flowered Crowfoot Cranes-bill, is in Leaves, Stalks, Branches, Plovers, Magnitude^ Form, and manner of growing, altogether^
Page 267like to the former, excepting in two particulars, viz I. In the Roa, which has not such red heads as the former Blew flowered has. 2. In the flowers, the former being Blew, whereas the Flotcers in this are wholly White, and fully as large as the first.
V. The third, or Purple Crowfoot Cranes-bill has a Root which is composed of a great Tuft of firings, faflned to a Tuberous or Knobby Head, from whence many Leaves spring forth, set upon long footstalks, somewhat like unto the other, yet not so broad, but more divided or cut, viz. into seven, or more flits, even to the middle, each of which is also cut in on*the edges, more deeply than the former. The Stalks are a little Knobbed or Gouty at the Joints, set with Leaves like unto the lower, and bearing a grcaf Tuft of Buds at the Tops of the Branches, which bud and put out into fair large flowers, made of five purple Leaves, which do something resemble the flower of a Mallow, before it be too full blown, each whereof has a reddish Pointel
in the middle, and many small threads compassing of it, ( ten in number ) as Gerard says. This Vmble or Tuft of Buds, does flower by Degrees, and not all at once, and every flower abides open but a little mere than one day, and then fheds its Leaves ; so that every day yields fresh flowers, which because they are so many, are a long time before they are all blown and spent. Tl:e Flowers being past, small Beak or Bill Heads come forth, like unto the other Cranes-bills, with small turning Seed.
VI. The fourth, or Dark R# Crowfoot Cranes-bill, has a Root with great reddish heads above, with many long firings and fibres defending from it χ from th'rs Root spring several broad spread+foft, and somewhat hairy Leaves, growing upon long Footstalks, cut into five, fix, or seven deep gashes or divisions, with a blackish fpoi at the bottom of every one of them, and dented also about their edges. The Stalk rises up about two Feet high, spotted with many bloody spots, and is strong, somewhat hairy and fyread forth into three or four Branches^ with such like Leaves on them, but lesser, and at their Tops, two or three Flowers apiece, each of them consisting of five Leaves, cut in on the edges C which is a mode differing from all other Cranes-bills ) of a deep red color, almost blackish, and in the middle a long Stile or Pointel, with many withered threads about it. The Flowers being past, there follows brown pointed Seed, like to the other Cranes-bills,
VII. The fifth, or Party-colored Crowfoot Cranes-bill, it in its Roots, Stalks, Leaves, Flowers, Seed, Magnitude, Form, and manner of growing, so like to the first described in this Chapter, that until it is perfectly in Flower, this cannot be known from that: but when it is blown out, the Flowers are found to be variably striped and spotted, and sometimes divided, the one half of every Leaf being white, and the other half blew sometimes with greater or lesser spots of blew in the white Leaf, very variable^ and more in some years than in others ^ so that it would be a very difficult matter to express all the varieties which may be observed, at the same and differing times, in the blown Flowers.
VIII. The sixth, or Long Rooted Crowfoot Cranes-bill, has a Root very long and great, with small fibres adjoining thereto, of a reddish color with-wtf, and abiding all the Winter : from this Root Iprmg forth Leaves ( upon long Footstalks ') fome-•fat large, but yet less than those of the other Crowfoot Cranes-bills, otherwise very like. Fn among these Leaves rise up several Stalks, bearing J"r and beautiful red Flowers, of a more excellent
ΊΪλ'γ*"^0* ihofe '/'V Tuberous Cranes-bill, e™ q a lighter red than those of the third kind be
fore described in this Chapter : they are a Jo co/i tained in thicker and fiwrter Cups, and are of a sweet Musk-like Smell: The Flowers being past, the Seed succeeds, which is like to that of the other Cranes-bills,//!;;^ that the Bills arc a little fiwrter.
IX. The Places. These are all Wild of their own Nature, and grow in Barren Places, and in Vallies, rather than in Mountainous Grounds. Some say, that the first has been found growing naturally in England, but Parkinson says, he never could find it: but with us they are for the most part Nurs'd up in Gardens.
X. The Times. They all Flower in June and July, and their Seed is ripe in a short time afterwards.
XI. The Qualities, Specification, Preparations and Virtues, being the same with all the aforegoing Cranes-bills, as also with those in the ibllowing Chapter, where we have declared them at large, we shall forbear to speak any more in this place, referring you thither.
Botanologia, or The English Herbal, was written by William Salmon, M.D., in 1710.
