The Description.

            1. Our common Star of Bethlehem hath many narrow leaves, thick, fat, full of juice, and of a very green colour, with a white streak down the middle of each leaf: among the which rise up small naked stalks, at the top whereof grow flowers compact of six little leaves, striped on the backside with lines of green, the inside being milk-white. These flowers open themselves at the rising of the sun, and shut again at the sun setting; whereupon this plant hath been called by some, Bulbus Solsequius. The flowers being past, the seed doth follow enclosed in three-cornered husks. The root is bulbous, white both within and without.

            2. The second sort hath two or three grassy leaves proceeding from a cloven bulbous root. The stalke riseth up in the midst naked, but toward the top there do thrust forth more leaves like unto the other, but smaller and shorter; among which leaves do step forth very small, weak, and tender foot-stalks. The flowers of this are on the backside of a pale yellow striped with green, on the inside of a bright shining yellow colour, with saffron coloured threads in their middles. The seed is contained in triangular vessels.

            3. This Star of Hungary, contrary to the custom of other plants of this kind, sendeth forth before winter five or six leaves spread upon the ground, narrow, and of some fingers length, somewhat whitish green, and much resembling the leaves of Gillyflowers, but somewhat roughish. In April the leaves beginning to decay, amongst them rises up a stalk bearing at the top a spoke of flowers, which consisting of six leaves apiece show themselves open in May; they in colour are like the first described, as also in the green streak on the lower side of each leaf. The seed is black, round, and contained in triangular heads. The root is bulbous, long, and white.

            4. This fourth, which is the Ornithogalum Hispanicum minus of Clusius, hath a little white root which sends forth leaves like the common one, but narrower, and destitute of the white line wherewith the other are marked. The stalk is some two handfuls high, bearing at the top thereof some seven or eight flowers growing each above other, yet so, as that they seem to make an umbel each of these flowers hath six leaves of a whitish blue colour, with so many white chives or threads, and a little bluish umbone in the midst. This flowers in April.

            5. This fifth first sends up one only leaf two or three inches long, narrow, and of a whitish colour, and of an acid taste: nigh whereto riseth up a small stalk some inch or two high, having one or two leaves thereon, between which come forth small star-flowers, yellow within, and of a greenish purple without. The seed, which is reddish and small, is contained in triangular heads. The root is white, round, and covered with an ash-coloured film.

            6. I think it not amiss, hereto to add another small bulbous plant, which Clusius calls Bulubu monophyllos, the one leaved Bulb. This from a small root sends forth one rush-leaf of some foot in length, which about two inches above the earth being somewhat broader than in the other places, and guttered, sends forth a little stalk some three inches long, whose top is set with three little flowers, each standing above other, about the bigness here presented unto your view in the figure: each of those consisteth of six very white leaves, and are not much unlike the flowers of the grass of Parnassus, but yet without leaves to sustain the flower, as it hath: six white threads tipped with yellow, and a three-square head with a white pointel possess the midst of the flower; the smell thereof is somewhat like that of the flowers of the Hawthorn. It flowers in the midst of June.

            7. Having done with these two small plants, I must acquaint you with three or four larger, belonging also to this Classis. The first of these is that which Dodonæus calls Ornithogalum major, and Clusius, Ornithogalum Arabicum: This by Lobel and some others is called Lilium Alexandrinum, or the Lily of Alexandria, as our author calls it in the chapter of Cotton-Grass. This fair, but tender plant, hath broad green leaves coming from a large white flat bottomed root, amongst which rises up a stalk some cubit high, whose top is garnished with sundry pretty large flowers made of six very white leaves, with a shining blackish head, engirt with six white threads tipped with yellow. This flowers in May.

            8. This, which is commonly called Ornithogalum spicatum, hath large leaves and roots, and the stalk grows some cubit or more high, whereon grow many star-flowers in shape and colour like those of the ordinary, but larger, and they begin to flower below, and flower upwards to the top. There is a larger sort of this spicatum, whose flowers are not streaked with green on their backs. There is also a lesser, differing from the first of these only in bigness.

Fig. 287. Neapolitan Star-flower. (9)

            9. This Neapolitan hath three or four long leaves not much unlike those of the Hyacinths, but narrower, the stalk is pretty thick, some foot high, and hath usually growing thereon some five or six flowers hanging one way, though their stalks grow alternately out of each side of the main stem. These flowers are composed of six leaves, being about an inch long, and some quarter of an inch broad, white within, and of an ash-coloured green without, with white edges, the middle of the flower is possessed by another little flower, considing also of six little leaves, having in them six threads headed with yellow, and a white pointel. A black wrinkled seed is contained in three-cornered heads, which by reason of their bigness weigh down the stalk. This flowers in April.

The Place.

            Stars of Bethlehem, or Star-flowers, especially the first and second, grow in sundry places that lie open to the air, not only in Germany and the Low-countries, but also in England, and in our gardens very common. The yellow kind Lobel found in Somersetshire in the corn fields. The rest are strangers in England; yet we have most of them, as the third, fourth, eighth, and ninth, in some of our choice gardens.

The Time.

            These kinds of bulbed plants do flower from April to the end of May.

The Names.

            Touching the names; Clusius calls it Ornithogalos: Pliny calls it Ornithogale: in high Dutch it is called Feldz Wibel, Ackers Wibel: as you should say, Cepa agraria: in English, Stars of Bethlehem.

            The rest are named in their titles and history; but Clusius questions whether the Bulbus unifolius be not Bulbine of Theophrastus, 7. Hist. 13. Bauhin seems to affirm the Spicatum to be Moly of Dioscorides and Theophrastus, and Epimedium of Pliny.

The Nature.

            These are temperate in heat and dryness.

The Virtues.

            A. The virtues of most of them are unknown; yet Hieronymus Tragus writeth, That the root of the Star of Bethlehem roasted in hot embers, and applied with honey in manner of a cataplasm or poultice, healeth old eating ulcers, and softens and discusses hard tumors.

            The roots, saith Dioscorides, are eaten both raw and boiled.