Of Woolly Bulbus.

The description (la descripción).

There hath fallen out to be heere inserted a Bulbus plant consisting of many Bulbes, which hath passed currant amongst all our late writers. The which I am to set forth to the view of our nation, as others haue done in sundrie languages to theirs, as a kinde of the Hyacinths: which in rootes and leaues it doth verie well resemble, called of the Grecians ἐριόφορος: in Latine Laniferus, bicause of his abundance of woolly flockes, wherewith the whole plant is in euerie part full fraughted, as well rootes, leaues, as stalkes. The leaues are broade, thicke, fat, full of iuice, and of a spiderlike webbe when they be broken. Among these leaues riseth vp a stalke two cubits high, much like vnto the stalke of Squilla, or sea Onion. And from the middle to the top it is beset round about with many smal starlike blew flowers without smel, verie like to the flowers of Asphodill, beginning to flower at the bottome, and so vpward by degrees, whereby it is long before it hath done flowring: which flowers the learned Phisition of Vienna Iohannes Aicholzius desired long to see, who brought it first from Constantinople, and planted it in his garden, where he nourished it ten yeeres with great curiositie; which time being expired, thinking it to be a barren plant, sent it to Carolus Clusius, with whom in some few yeeres it did beare such flowers as before described, but neuer since to this day. This painefull Herbarist would gladly haue seene the seede that should succeed those flowers: but they being of a nature quickly subiect to perish, decaie, and fade, began presently to pine away, leauing onely a fewe chaffie and idle seede vessels without fruit. My selfe haue been possessed with this plant at the least 12. yeeres, whereof I haue yeerely great increase of new rootes, but I did neuer see any token of budding or flowring to this day. day: notwithstanding I shall be content to suffer it in some base place or other of my garden to stand, as the cipher $o$ at the end of the figures to attend his time & leasure, as those men of famous memorie haue done. Of whose temperature and vertues there hath not any thing beene saide, but kept in gardens to the end afore said.