Of tree Nightshade.
The description.
This rare and pleasant plant, called tree Nightshade, is taken of some to be a kinde of Ginnie pepper, but not rightly; of others for a kinde of Nightshade, whose iudgement and censure I gladly admit; for that it doth more fitly answer it both in the forme and nature. It groweth vppe like vnto a small shrubbe or wooddie hedge bush, two or three cubits high, couered with a greenish barke set with many small twiggie braunches, and garnished with many long leaues verie greene, like vnto those of the peach tree. The flowers are white, with a certaine yellowe pricke or pointell in the middle, like vnto the flowers of garden Nightshade. After which succeede small rounde berries verie red of colour, and of the same substance with winter cherries, wherein are conteined little flat yellow seedes. The roote is compact of many small hairie yellow stringes.
The place.
It groweth not wilde in these colde regions, but we haue them in our gardens, rather for pleasure then profite, or any good qualitie as yet knowne.
The time.
It is kept in pots and tubs with earth and such like in houses during the extremitie of winter, bicause it cannot endure the coldnesse of our colde clymate, and is set abroade into the garden in March or Aprill: it flowreth in Maie, and the fruite is ripe in September.
The names.
Tree Nightshade is called in Latine Solanum arborescens, of some Stickrodendron, and Strichnodendron: Amomum of Plinie: and Pseudocapsicum of Dodonaeus.
The vertues.
We haue not as yet any thing set downe as touching the temperature or vertues of this plant, but is referred of some to the kinds of Ginnie pepper, but without any reason at all; for Ginny pepper though it bring foorth fruite verie like in shape vnto this plant, yet in taste most vnlike, for that Capsicum or Ginny pepper is more sharpe in taste then our common pepper; and the other hath no taste of biting at all, but is like vnto the berries of garden Nightshade in taste, although they differ in colour: which hath mooued some to call this plant red Nightshade, of the colour of the berries: and tree Nightshade, of the wooddy substance which doth continue and grow from yeere to yeere: and Ginnie pepper dieth at the first approch of winter.
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.