Of the maruaile of the World.
The description (la descripción).
This admirable plant called the maruell of Peru, or the maruel of the World, springeth foorth of the grounde like vnto Basill in leaues; among which it sendeth out a stalke two cubits and a halfe high, of the thicknesse of a finger, full of iuice, very firme, and of a yellowish greene colour, knotted or kneed with ioints somewhat bunching foorth, of purplish colour, as in the female Balsamina: which stalke diuideth it selfe into sundrie braunches or boughes, & those also knottie like the stalke: his braunches are bedecked with leaues growing by couples, at the iointes like the leaues of wilde Peascods, greene, fleshie, and full of iuice, which being rubbed doe yeelde the like vnpleasant smell as wilde Peascods do, and are in taste also verie vnsauorie, yet in the latter end they leaue a taste and sharpe smacke of Tabaco. The stalkes towards the top are garnished with long hollow single flowers, foulded as it were into fiue parts before they be opened, but being fully blowen do resemble the flowers of Tabaco, not ending into sharpe corners, but blunt and rounde as the flowers of Bindweede, and larger then the flowers of Tabaco, glittering oftentimes with a fine purple or crimson colour; many times of an horseflesh; sometime yellowe; sometime pale; and sometime resembling an old red or yellowe colour; sometime whitish; and most commonly two colours occupying halfe the flower, or intercoursing the whole flower with streakes and orderly streames, nowe yellowe, nowe purple, diuided through the whole; hauing sometime great, sometime little spots of a purple colour, sprinckled and scattered in a most variable order, and braue mixture. The grounde or fielde of the whole flower is either pale, red, yellowe, or white, containing in the middle of the hollownesse a pricke or pointell set rounde about with fixe small strings or chiues. The flowers are verie sweete and pleasant, resembling the Narcisse or white Daffodill, and are very sodainly fading; for at night they are flowred wide open, and so continue vntill eight of the clocke the next morning: at which time they begin to close or shut vp (after the maner of the Bindweede) especially if the weather be very hot; but if the aire be more temperate they remaine open the whole day, & are closed onely at night, & so perish, one flower lasting but onely one day, like the true Ephemerum or Hemerocallis. This maruellous varietie doth not without great cause bring into admiration all those that obserue it. For if the flowers be gathered and reserued in seuerall papers, and compared with those flowers that will spring and flourish the next daie, you shall easily perceiue that one is not like another in colour, though you shoulde compare one hundred, which flower one day, and another hundred which you gathered the next day; and so from daie to day during the time of their flowering. The cups and huskes which containe and embrace the flowers, are diuided into fiue pointed sections, which are greene, and as it were consisting of skins, wherein is conteined one seede and no more, couered with a blackish skin, hauing a blunt point whereon the flower groweth; but on the ende next the cup or huske, it is adorned with a little fiue cornered crowne. The seed is as bigge as a pepper corne, which of it selfe fadeth with any light motion; within this seede is conteined a white kernell, which being brused, resolueth into a verie white pulpe like starch. The roote is thicke and like vnto a great radish, outwardly blacke, and within white, sharpe in taste, wherewith is mingled a superficiall sweetenes. It bringeth newe flowers from Iuly vnto October in infinite number, yea euen vntill the frosts do cause the whole plant to perish: notwithstanding it may be reserued in pots, and set in chambers and cellers that are warme, and so defended from the iniurie of our colde climate: prouided alwaies that there be not any water cast vpon the pot, or set foorth to take any moisture in the aire vntill March following; at which time it must be taken foorth of the pot & replanted in the garden. By this means I haue preserued many (though to small purpose) bicause I haue sowen seeds that haue borne flowers in as ample maner & in as good time as those reserued plants. Of this woonderfull herbe there be other sorts, but not so amiable or so full of varietie, and for the most part their flowers are all of one colour. But I haue since by practise found out another way to keepe the rootes for the yeere following with very little difficultie, which neuer faileth. At the first frost I digge vp the rootes & put vp or rather hide the rootes in a butter ferkin, or such like vessell, filled with the sande of a riuer, the which I suffer still to stande in some corner of a house where it neuer receiueth moisture vntill Aprill or the middest of March, if the weather be warme; at which time I take it from the sande and plant it in the garden, where it doth flourish exceeding well and increaseth by rootes; which doth not which was either sowen of seede the same yeere, nor those plants that were preserued after the other maner.
The place (el lugar).
The seed of this strange plant was brought first into Spaine, from Peru, whereof it tooke his name Mirabilia Peruviana, or Peruviana: and since dispersed into all the parts of Europe: the which my selfe haue planted many yeeres, and haue in some temperate yeeres receiued both flowers and ripe seede.
The time (la época).
It is sowen in the middest of Aprill, and bringeth foorth his variable flowers in September, and perisheth with the first frost, except it be kept as aforesaide.
The names (los nombres).
It is called in Peru of those Indians there Hachal: of others after their name Hachal Indi: of the high and lowe Dutch Solanum odoriferum: of some Iasminum mexicanum: and of Carolus Clusius, mirabilia Peruviana: in English, rather the maruell of the World, then of Peru alone.
The vertues (las virtudes).
We haue not as yet any instructions from the people of India concerning the nature or vertues of this plant: the which is esteemed as yet rather for his rarenesse, beautie, and sweetenesse of his flowers, then for any vertues knowne; but it is a pleasant plant to decke the gardens of the curious. Howbeit Iacobus Antonius Cortusus of Padua hath by experience found out, that two drams of the roote thereof taken inwardly doth very notably purge waterish humours.
Texto en la ortografía original de Gerard, en inglés de 1597 (la s larga se imprime como s), transcrito por la Source Library (CC BY-SA 4.0). Un capítulo puede continuar en páginas aún no transcritas. Gerard escribía dentro de la medicina galénica; nada de esto es un consejo.