Of sundry sortes of Knot grasses.

| 1 Polygonum montanum. Mountaine Knot grasse. | 2 Anthyllis valentina Clusij. Valentia Knot grasse. | |-----------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------| | | |

The description.

The snowie white and least kinde of Polygonum, or Knot grasse, called of Clusius Paronychia Hispanica, is a strange and woorthie plant to behold, handle, and consider, although it be but small. It is not aboue two inches long, hauing small branches, thicke, tough, hard, and full of ioints: out of which the leaues come foorth like small teeth lesser than the leaues of Herniaria, or Thymum tenuifolium. At the top of the stalkes stand most delicate flowers framed by nature, as it were, with fine parchment leaues, standing like small buttons, in their singular whiteness and snowie colour resembling the perfect white silke, so many in number at the top, and so thicke, that they ouershadow the rest of the plant beneath. The roote is slender, and of a wooddie substance, longer than the branches, or the whole plant. The seede is couered as it were with chaffe, and is as small as dust, or the motes in the sunne. Anthyllis of Valentia, being likewise a kinde of Knot grasse, hath small leaues like Glaux exigua, set orderly by couples at the ioints: among which come flowers, and other final leaues like the first, but altogether lesser. The roote is small and long, and of a wooddie substance. There is a kinde of Knot grasse, which hath many long and slender branches, or rather small twigs, spred and stretched vpon the ground like Serpillum: from among which leaues, do cluster in rundels like tuftes, hauing spaces betweene each tuft; out of which proceedeth a small dustie flower. The whole plant is full of iuice like Aizoon, or small Sengreene. The roote is somewhat long and wooddie, bitter in taste, and hot, and somewhat astringent. Among the Knot grasses may well be suted this small plant but lately written of, and not so commonly knowne as growing in Englande, being about an handfull high, and putteth out from a fibrous roote sundrie slender stalkes full of little braunches and ioints: about which growe confusedly many narrow leaues, for the most part of an vnequall quantitie; yet heere and there two longer then the rest, and much alike in greatnes: at the outmost parts of the braunches and stalkes (where it hath thickest tufts) appeere out of the middest of the leaues little flowers of an herby colour. The whole plant is all ouer whitish or hoarie. If my memorie faile me not, Pena doth meane this herbe where he speaketh of Saxifraga anglicana, in his Aduersaria pag. 103. and also reporteth that he founde this plant by the way side as he rode from London to Bristow, on a little hill not far from Chipnam; his picture doth very well resemble the kinde of Knot grasse, called among the Germaines Knawell, and calling it Saxifraga anglicana, causeth me to thinke that some in the west parts where he first founde it do call it Saxifrage, as we do call sundrie other herbes, especially if they serue for the stone. My friende master Steven Bredwell, practitioner in Physick in those parts, heard of a simple man, who did much good with a medicine (that he made with Parsley Piert) against the stone, which he ministred vnto all sorts of people. This my friend requested the poore man to shew him the herbe called Parsley Piert, who frankly promised it him, and the next morning brought him an handfull of the herbe, and tolde him the composition of his medicine withal, which you shall finde set downe in the vertues, and prooued by sundrie of good account, to be a singular remedie for the same.

The place.

The first and common Knot grasse groweth in euery grauely or barren grounde: the seconde groweth neere the sea banks: the thirde and fourth are strangers in Englande: the fift doth growe in my garden: the sixt groweth in barren sandie fieldes where Barley hath been sowen: the seuenth groweth by the sea side vpon rockes and cliffes: and the last doth growe in the places where corne hath hath beene sowen, as by Barne elmes, where my friende aforesaid founde the same: it doth growe in Kent in sundrie places, from whence I brought some for my garden, where it prospereth well; and by Chipnam aforesaid, as Pena reporteth.

The time.

These flower for the most part from Maie to September.

The names.

That which hath beene saide of their seuerall names in their descriptions shall suffice.

The temperature.

They are colde in the seconde degree, and drie in the thirde, astringent and making thicke.

The vertues.

The iuice of Knotgrasse is good against the spitting of bloude, the pissing of bloud, and all other issues and fluxe of bloud: it preuaileth against the Gonorrhæa, and the weaknesse of the backe, being made in a tansie with egges. The decoction of Knotgrasse cureth the disease aforesaid, in as ample manner as the iuice, and being boiled in honie and wine, it cureth the ulcers & inflammations of the priuie or secret parts of man or woman. Dioscorides saith that Knot grasse prouoketh urine, and helpeth such as pisse drop by drop, when the urine is hot and sharpe. Heere according to my promise I haue thought good to insert this medicine made with Knawel, which herbe is called (as I saide before) Parsley Piert; but if I might without offence, it shoulde be called Petra Pungens: for that barbarous worde Parsley Piert, was giuen by some simple man, who had not well learned the true terme. The composition which followeth must be giuen in warme white wine halfe a dram, yea two scruples or more, according to the constitution of the bodie which is to receiue it. The leaues of Parsley Piert, Mouseare, of eche one ounce when the herbes be dried, Baie berries, Turmericke, Cloues, the seedes of the great Burre, the seedes in the berries of heppes or Briertree, Fenugreeke, of eche one ounce, the stone in the oxe gall, the waight of 24. Barley cornes, or halfe a dram, made togither into a most fine and subtill powder, taken and drunke in manner aforesaid, hath beene prooued most singular for the disease aforesaid.