The Description.

            1. The great mountain Lily hath a cloved bulb or scaly root like to those of the Red Lily, yellow of colour, very small in respect of the greatness of the plant: From the which riseth up a stalk, sometimes two or three, according to the age of the plant; whereof the middle stalk commonly turneth from his roundness into a flat form, as those of the white Lily of Constantinople. Upon these stalks do grow fair leaves of a blackish green colour, in roundels and spaces as the leaves of Woodruff, not unlike to the leaves of white Lily, but smaller at the top of the stalks. The flowers be in number infinite, or at the least hard to be counted, very thick set or thrust together, of an overworn purple, spotted on the inside with many small specks of the colour of rusty iron. The whole flower doth turn itself backward at such time as the sun hath cast his beams upon it, like unto the Tulip or Turk's Cap, as the Lily or Martagon of Constantinople doth; from the middle whereof do come forth tender pointels with small dangling pendants hanging thereat, of the colour the flower is spotted with.

            2. The small mountain Lily is very like unto the former in root, leaf, stalk, and flowers; differing in these points: The whole plant is lesser, the stalk never leaveth his round form, and beareth fewer flowers.

            There are two or three more varieties of these plants mentioned by Clusius; the one of this lesser kind, with flowers on the outside of a flesh colour, and on the inside white, with blackish spots as also another wholly white without spots. The third variety is like the first, but differs in that the flowers blow later, and smell sweet.

The Place

            These plants grow in the woody mountains of Styria and Hungary, and also in such like places on the North of Frankfurt, upon the Main.

            The small sort I have had many years growing in my garden but the greater I have not had till of late, given me by my loving friend Mr. James Garret apothecary of London.

The Time.

            These Lilies of the mountain flower at such time as the common white Lily doth, and sometimes sooner.

The Names.

            The great mountain Lily is called of Tabernamontanus, Lilium Saracenicum, received by Master Garret aforesaid from Lille in Flanders, by the name of Martagon Imperiale: of some, Lilium Saracenicum mas: It is Hemerocallis flore rubella, of Lobel.

            The small mountain Lily is called in Latin, Lilium montanum, and Lilium sylvestre: of Dodonæus, Hemerocallis: of others, Martagon: but neither truly; for that there is of either, other plants properly called by the same names. In high Dutch it is called Goldwurtz, from the yellowness of the roots: in low Dutch, Lilikens van Gualarien; in Spanish, Lirio Amarillo: in French, Lys Sauvage: in English, Mountain Lily.

The Nature and Virtues.

            There hath not been anything left in writing either of the nature or virtues of these plants: notwithstanding we may deem, that God which gave them such seemly and beautiful shape, hath not left them without their peculiar virtues; the finding out whereof we leave to the learned and industrious searcher of nature.