Of herbe Iue, or ground Pine.

1 Chamæpitys mas. The male ground Pine. <column-break/> 2 Chamæpitys fœmina. The female ground Pine. <column-break/>

The description.

1 The common kinde of Chamæpitys or grounde Pine, is a small herbe and verie tender, creeping vpon the ground, hauing small and crooked braunches trailing about. The leaues be small, narrow, & hairie, in fauour like the firre or Pine tree: but if my fence of smelling be perfect, me thinkes it is rather like vnto the finell of hempe. The flowers be little and of a pale yellow colour, and somtimes white: the roote is small and single, and of a woodie substance. 2 The second kinde hath in like maner small and tender braunches, browne and hairie, verie like vnto the former: from which grow small hairie leaues, much clouen or cut, almost like iagged Germander. The flowers ar. of a purple colour, and growe about the stalkes in roundles like the dead Nettell. The seede is blacke and rounde, and the whole plant fauoureth like the former. 3 This kinde of herbe Iue, growing for the most part about Montpelier in Fraunce, is the least of all his kinde, hauing small, white, and rough leaues and yellowe flowers, in smell and proportion like vnto the others, but much smaller. There is a wilde or bastard kinde of Chamæpitys, or ground Pine, that hath leaues somewhat like vnto the second kinde, but not iagged in that manner, only diuiding themselues into diuers slender stalkes. The roote is somewhat bigger, and like vnto the roote of Succorie. There is a bastarde kinde of Chamæpitys that hath long and small braunches, dispersing it selfe far about vpon the ground. The leaues are somewhat broader then the last mentioned, being of a strong smell and bitter taste: the seedes (to the view) like vnto the feeds of Chamælea Tricoccos, or Widowewaile, being fower in number, and set in good order within a little chalice: the roote is greater then any of the rest. 3 Iua Muscata monspeliaca. Herbe Iue, or grounde Pine. There is another kind that hath many small & tender branches, beset with little leaues for the most part three togither, almost like the leaues of Rosemarie: at the top of which braunches growe slender white flowers, which being turned outwarde (that the inner side may be seene) do somewhat resemble the flower of Lamium: the seede is like the seede of Spuria altera. There groweth in Austrich a kinde of Chamaepytis, which is a most braue & rare plant, & of great beautie; yet not once remembred either of the auncient or newe writers, vntill of late that famous Carolus Clusius had set it foorth in his Pannonicke trauels, who for his singular skill and industrie hath wonne the garlande from all that haue written before his time. This rare and strange plant I haue in my garden, growing with many square stalkes of halfe a foote high, beset euen from the bottome to the top with leaues so like our common Rosemarie, that it is hard for him which doth not know it exactly to finde the difference; being greene aboue, and somwhat hairie and hoarie vnderneath: among which come foorth rounde about the stalkes (after the maner of roundles or crownets) certaine small cups or chalices, of a reddish colour, out of which come the flowers like vnto Archangell in shape, but of a most excellent and stately mixed colour; the outside purple declining to blewnesse, and somtimes of a violet colour. The flower gapeth like the mouth of a beast, and hath as it were a white toong, the lower and vpper iawes are white likewise, spotted with many bloudie spots: which being past, the seedes appeere very long, of a shining blacke colour, set in order in the small huskes, as the Chamaepytis Spuria. The roote is blacke and harde, with many capillaments or hearie strings fastned thereto.

The place.

These kinds of Chamaepytis (except the two last) grow verie plentifully in Kent, especially about Graues ende, Cobham, Southfleete, Horton, Dartforde, and Sutton, and not in anie other shire in England that euer I could finde. That kinde of Chamaepytis which beareth the white flower, I haue not as yet seene.

The time.

They flower in Iune and often in August.

The names.

Ground Pine is called in Greek χαμαιπίτυς: in Latine Ibiga, Aiuga & Abiga: in shops Iua Artherica, & Iua moschata: in Italian Iua: in Spanish Chamapiteos: in high Dutch Vergiß mich nicht: in lowe Dutch Velt Cypres: in French Iue moschate: in English herbe Iuie, Forget me not, grounde Pine, and fielde Cypresse.

The temperature.

These herbes are hot in the second degree and drie in the third.

The vertues.

The leaues of Chamaepytis tunned vp in ale, or infused in wine, or sodden with hony, and drunk by the space of eight or ten daies, cureth the iaundies, the Ischiatica, the stoppings of the liuer, the difficultie of making water, the stoppings of the spleene, and causeth women to haue their naturall sicknes. Chamaepytis stamped greene with honie cureth wounds, malignant and rebellious vlcers, and dissolueth the hardnes of womens brests or paps, and profitably helpeth against poison, or biting of any venemous beast. The decoction drunke, dissolueth congealed blood, and drunke with vineger driueth foorth the dead childe. It clenseth the intrals: it helpeth the infirmities of the liuer and kidneies: it cureth the yellow iaundies being drunke in wine: it bringeth downe the desired sicknes, and prouoketh vrine: being boiled in Meade or honied water and drunke, it helpeth the Sciatica in fortie daies. The people of Hera- Heraclea in Pontus do vse it against Wolfes bane in steed of a counterpoison. The powder hereof taken in pils with a fig, mollifieth the belly; it wasteth away the hardnes of the paps; it healeth wounds; it cureth putrified vlcers being applied with honie: and these things the first ground Pine doth performe, so doth the other two; but not so effectually, as witnesseth Dioscorides. Clusius of whom mention was made, hath not said any thing of the vertues of Chamæpytis Austriaca; but verily I thinke it better by many degrees for the purposes aforesaid: my coniecture I take from the taste, smell, and comely proportion of this herbe, which is more pleasing and familiar to the nature of man, than those which we haue plentifully in our owne countrie growing.