The Description.

These two figures are of one and the selfsame plant; the first showeth the shrub being in flower: the other when it is full flowered with the fruit grown to ripeness, notwithstanding some have deemed them to be of two kinds, wherein they were deceived.

This excellent and most beautiful plant Coggygria (being reputed of the Italians and the Venetians for a kind of Rhus or Sumach, because it is used for the same purposes whereto Rhus serveth and therein doth far excel it) is an hedge plant growing not above the height of four or five cubits, having tough and pliant stalks and twiggy branches like to Osiers, of a brown colour. The leaves be round, thick, and stiff like the leaves of Capparis, in colour and savor of Pistacia leaves or Terebinthus; among which ariseth a small upright sprig, bearing many small clustering little greenish yellow flowers, upon long and red stalks. After which follow small reddish Lentil-like seeds that carry at the tops a most fine woolly or flocky tuft, crisped and curled like a curious wrought fleece, which curleth and foldeth itself abroad like a large bush of hairs.

The Place.

Coggygria groweth in Orleans near Avignon, and in divers places of Italy, upon the Alps of Styria, and many other places. It groweth on most of the hills of France, in the high woods of the upper Pannonia or Austria, and also of Hungary and Bohemia.

The Time.

They flower and flourish for the most part in July.

The Names.

The first is called Coggygria, and Coccygria: in English, Venice Sumach, or Silken Sumach; of Pliny, Cotinus, in his 16th book, 18th chapter. There is, saith he, on mount Apennine a shrub which is called Cotinus, ad lineamenta modo conchylii colore insignis,["which dyes cloth a colour like that got from shells (i.e.Tyrian purple)"] and yet Cotinus is Oleaster, or Olea sylvestris, the wild Olive tree, from which this shrub doth much differ; and therefore it may rightly be called Cotinus coriaria. Divers would have named it Scotinus, which name is not found in any of the old writers. The Pannonians do call it Farblauff: it is also thought that this shrub is Coggygria plinii, of which in his 13th book, 22nd chapter, he writeth in these words: Coggygria is also like to Unedo in leaf, not so great; it hath a property to loose the fruit with down, which thing happeneth unto no other tree.

The Temperature.

The leaves and slender branches together with the seeds are very much binding, cold and dry as the other kinds of Sumach are.

The Virtues.

A. The leaves of Coggygria, or Silken Sumach, are sold in the markets of Spain and Italy for great sums of money, unto those that dress Spanish skins, for which purpose they are very excellent.

B. The root of Cotinus, as Anguillara noteth, serveth to dye with, giving to wool and cloth a reddish colour, which Pliny knew, showing that this shrub (that is to say the root) is ad lineamenta modo conchylii colore insignis.