Of Honie woort.
The description.
Cerinthe or Honie woort, riseth foorth of the grounde after the sowing of his seede, with two small leaues like those of Basill; betweene the which leaues commeth foorth a thicke, fat, smooth, tender, and brittle stalke full of iuice, that diuideth it selfe into many other braunches: which also are diuided in sundrie other armes or braunches likewise, crambling or leaning toward the grounde, being not able without props to sustaine it selfe, by reason of the great waight of leaues, braunches, and much iuice, the whole plant is surcharged with: vpon which braunches are placed many thicke, rough leaues, set with very sharpe prickles like the rough skin of a Thornebacke, of a blewish greene colour, spotted very notablie with white strakes & spots, like those leaues of the true Pulmonaria or Cowslips of Ierusalem, and in shape like those of the codded Thorowe waxe, which leaues do clippe or imbrace the stalks round about: from the bosome whereof come foorth small clusters of yellowe flowers, with a hoope or bande of bright purple rounde about the middle of the yellowe flower. The flower is hollowe, fashioned like a little boxe, of the taste of honie when it is sucked, in the hollownesse whereof, are many small chiues or threds; which being past, there succeedeth round blacke seed, conteined in soft skinnie huskes. The root perisheth at the first approch of winter. 2 Pliny fetteth foorth another Cerinthe or Honiewoort, which Dodoneus in his last Edition calleth Maru herba: it hath small, long, and slender braunches, reeling this way and that way, as not able to sustaine it selfe, verie brittle, beset with leaues not much vnlike the precedent, but lesser, neither so rough nor spotted, of a blewish greene colour. The flowers be small, hollow, and yellow. The seede is small, rounde, and as blacke as ieat: the which dieth as the former. There is no taste, either of honie or waxe in the flowers or leaues, as the name doth seeme to import, neither the former, but onely in the flowers which are exceeding sweete.
The place.
These plants do not growe wilde in Englande, yet I haue them in my garden: the seedes whereof I receaued of the right honorable the Lord Zouch, my honorable good friend.
The time.
They flower from Maie to August, and perishe at the first approch of winter, and must bee sowen againe the next spring.
The vertues.
Plinie and Auicen seeme to agree, that these herbes are of a colde complexion, notwithstanding there is not any experiment of their vertues worth the writing.
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.