The Description.

1. This base kind of Broom called Greenweed or Dyers' weed, hath many tough branches proceeding from a woody root: whereon do grow great store of leaves, of a deep green colour, somewhat long like those of Flax: the flowers grow at the top of the branches not much unlike the leaves of Broom, but smaller; of an exceeding fair yellow colour, which turn into small flat cods, wherein is contained a little flat seed.

2. Carolus Clusius setteth forth another kind of Broom, which Dodonæus calleth Genista tinctoria, being another sort of dyers' weed: it groweth like the Spanish Broom: upon whose branches do grow long and small leaves like Flax, green on the upper side, and of an hoary shining colour on the other. The flowers grow at the top of the stalks, spike fashion, in form and colour like the former; the roots are thick and woody.

3. Carolus Clusius setteth forth two kinds of Broom. The first is a low and base plant, creeping and lying flat upon the ground, whose long branches are nothing else, but as it were stalks consisting of leaves thick in the midst, and thin about the edges, and as it were divided with small nicks; at which place it beginneth to continue the same leaf to the end, and so from leaf to leaf, until it have increased a great sort, all which do as it were make one stalk; and hath none other leaves, saving that in some of the nicks or divisions there cometh forth a small leaf like a little ear. At the end of those flat and leafed stalks come forth the flowers, much like the flowers of the common Greenweed, but lesser, and of a yellow colour, which turn into small cods. The roots are very long, tough, and woody, full of fibres, closing at the top of the root, from whence they proceed as from one body.

4. This kind of Greenweed called of some Chamæspartium hath a thick woody root; from which rise up divers long leaves, consisting as it were of many pieces set together like a pair of beads (as may better be perceived by the figure, than expressed by words) green on the upper side, and whitish underneath, very tough, and as it were of a rushy substance: among which rise up very small naked rushy stalks; on the top whereof groweth an ear or spike of a chaffy matter, having here and there in the said ear divers yellow flowers like Broom, but very small or little.

5. The fifth Greenweed hath a woody tough root, with certain strings annexed thereto: from which rise up divers long, flat leaves, tough, & very hard, consisting as it were of many little leaves, set one at the end of another, making of many one entire leaf, of a green colour: amongst which come forth divers naked hard stalks, very small and stiff, on the tops whereof stand spiky ears of yellow flowers, like those of Broom, in shape like that great three-leaved grass, called Lagopus, or like the Foxtail Grass: after which come flat cods, wherein is enclosed small seed like to Tares both in taste and form.

6. This differeth not from the precedent in stalks, roots and leaves: the flowers consist of a flocky soft matter, not unlike to the grassy tuft of Foxtail, resembling the flower of Lagopus, or Hare's-foot, but having small yellow flowers lesser than the former, wherein it chiefly differeth from the other of his kind.

The Place.

The first being our common Dyer's Weed, groweth in most fertile pastures and fields almost everywhere. The rest are strangers in England.

The Time.

They flower from the beginning of July to the end of August.

The Names.

The first of these Greenweeds is named of most herbarists Flos tinctorius, but more rightly, Genista tinctoria, of this Pliny hath made mention. The Greenweeds, saith he, do grow to dye cloths with, in his 18th book 6th chapter. It is called in High Dutch, Ferblumen, and Ackerbrem: in Italian, Cerretta, and Cosaria, as Matthiolus writeth in his chapter of Lysimachia, or Loosestrife: in English, Dyers' Greenweed, Base Broom, and Woodwaxen.

The rest we refer to their several titles.

The Temperature and Virtues.

A. These plants are like unto common Broom in bitterness, and therefore are hot and dry in the second degree: they are likewise thought to be in virtues equal; notwithstanding their use is not so well known, and therefore not used at all where the other maybe had: we shall not need to speak of that use that dyers make thereof, being a matter impertinent to our history.