Of our Ladies Slipper.
The description.
Our Ladies Shooe or Slipper, hath a thicke knobbed roote, with certaine markes or notes vpon the same, such as the rootes of Salamons Seale haue, but much lesser, creeping within the vpper crust of the ground; from which riseth vp a stiffe and hairie stalke a foote high, set by certaine spaces, with faire broad leaues, ribbed with the like sinewes or nerues, as those of the Plantaine. At the top of the stalke groweth one single flower, seldome two, fashioned on the one side like an egge; on the other side it is open, emptie, and hollow, and of the forme of a shoo or slipper, whereof it tooke his name: of a yellow colour on the outside, and of a shining deepe yellow on the inside. The middle part is compassed about with fower leaues, of a bright purple colour, often of a light red, or obscure crimson, and sometimes yellow as is the middle part, which in shape is like an egge, as aforesaid.
The place.
Ladies Slipper groweth vpon the mountaines of Germanie, Hungarie, and Poland. I haue a plant thereof in my garden, which I receiued from Master Garret Apothecarie my very good friend.
The time.
It flowreth about the middest of Iune.
The names.
It is commonly called Calceolus D. Mariæ, and Marianus: of some Calceolus Sacerdotis: of some Alisma but vnproperly: in English our Ladies shoo, or Slipper: in the Germaine toong Pfaffen Schueth, Papen scoen: and of some Damasonium nothum.
The vertues.
Touching the faculties of our Ladies shoo, wee haue nothing to write, being not sufficiently knowne to the old writers, nor nor to the new.
Text in Gerard's own spelling (the long s is printed as s), transcribed by the Source Library (CC BY-SA 4.0). A chapter may run onto pages not yet transcribed. Gerard wrote within Galenic medicine; nothing here is advice.