The Description.

The Marsh Whortleberries grow upon the bogs in marsh or moorish grounds, creeping thereupon like unto wild Thyme, having many small limber and tender stalks laid almost flat upon the ground, beset with small narrow leaves fashioned almost like the leaves of Thyme, but lesser: among which come forth little berries like unto the common black Whortleberry in shape, but somewhat longer, sometimes all red, and sometimes spotted or specked with red spots of a deeper colour: in taste rough and astringent.

The Place.

The Marsh Whortle grows upon bogs and such like waterish and fenny places especially in Cheshire and Staffordshire, where I have found it in great plenty.

The Time.

The Berries are ripe about the end of July, and in August.

The Names.

They are called in High Dutch, Moszbeeren, Veenbesien: that is to say, Fen-Grapes, or Fen-Berries, and Marsh-whorts, or Marsh-Berries: Valerius Cordus nameth them Oxycoccon; we have called them Vaccinia palustria, or Marsh Whortleberries, of the likeness they have to the other berries: some also call them Moss-Berries, or Moor-berries.

The Temperature.

These Whortleberries are cold and dry, having withal a certain thinness of parts and substance, with a certain binding quality adjoined.

The Virtues

A. They take away the heat of burning agues, and also the drought, they quench the furious heat of choler, they stay vomiting, restore an appetite to meat which was lost by reason of choleric and corrupt humours, and are good against the pestilent diseases.

B. The juice of these also is boiled till it be thick, with sugar added that it may be kept, which is good for all things that the berries are, yea and far better.

CHAP. 75. Of Cloudberry.

The Description.

The Cloudberry hath many small thready roots, creeping far abroad under the upper crust of the earth, and also the moss, like unto Couch-Ggrass, of an overworn reddish colour, set here and there with small tufts of hairy strings: from which rise up two small stalks, hard, tough, and of a woody substance (never more nor less) on which do stand the leaves like those of the wild Mallow, and of the same colour, full of small nerves or sinews running in each part of the same: between the leaves cometh up a stalk Iikewise of a woody substance, whereon doth grow a small flower consisting of five leaves, of an herby or yellowish green colour like those of the wild Avens. After cometh the fruit, green at the first, after yellow, and the sides next the sun red when they be ripe; in form almost like unto a little heart, made as it were of two, but is no more but one, open above, and closed together in the bottom, of a harsh or sharp taste, wherein is contained three or four little white seeds.

The Place.

This plant groweth naturally upon the tops of two high mountains (among the mossy places) one in Yorkshire called Ingleborough, the other in Lancashire called Pendle, two of the highest mountains in all England, where the clouds are lower than the tops of the same all winter long, whereupon the people of the country have called them Cloudberries, found there by a curious gentleman in the knowledge of plants, called Mr. Hesketh, often remembered.

The Time.

The leaves spring up in May, at which time it flowereth: the fruit is ripe in July.

The Temperature.

The fruit is cold and dry, and very astringent.

The Virtues.

A. The fruit quencheth thirst, cooleth the stomach, and allayeth inflammations, being eaten as Whorts are, or the decotion made and drunk.