Chap. 154. Of Corn-Flag

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I. The Names. It is called in Greek, xipyov, X. and : In Latin, Gladiolus, and of

lome Enfis ( as it were the Sword Flag:) of some Gladiolus Segetalis, ViUorialis famina Cordi, and ViUorialis Rotunda : In English, Corn-Flag.

Y7^e}^n^s' There are several forts thereof, as,

1. Gladiolus Narbonenfis, The French Corn-Fla2

2. Gladiolus Italieus bints flotum ordtnibm, The Italian Corn-Flag. 3. Gladiolus hyzantinus, The Constantinopohtan or Turkish Corn^lag. 4 Gladiolus flore ^^ulh-coloied Corn-Flag. 5. Gladiolus flore albo, White-flowred Corn-FlagT 6 Gladiolus purpurea minor, The finall puiple Corn-

bword Flag, defenbed by Clusius. ^

III. The Descriptions. The first has a Root which is somewhat great, round, flat and hard, looking & if it was netted, having another short spongy one under it, which when it has done bearing, and the Stalk dry, that the Root may be taken up, flicks close to the bottom, but may be easily taken away, having commonly a number of small Roots encreasei about it, the least of which will quickly grow, so that ij it is fugered any long time in a Garden, it will even choak it up. From this Root, three or four broad, long, and fliff green Leaves rise up, one, as it were,

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fifing out of the side of another, being joined together at the bottom, somewhat like unto the Leaves 0/rlovver-de-luces, but stiffer, more full of Ribs, (Vi I longer than many of them, and sharper pointed. The Stalk rises up from among the Leaves, bearing them on it as it rifes, having at the top divers Hurks, out of which come the Flowers, one above another, all of them turning and opening themselves one way, which are long and gaping, like unto the Flowers of Fox-Glove, a little Arched or bunching up in the middle, of a fair reddish purple cokr, having two white spots within the mouth thereof, one on each side, made of a Lozenge fafh'wn, viz. square, and long pointed. After the Flowers are past, round Heads or Seed Vessels come up, in which is contained reddish flat Seed, like unto the Seed of Fritillaria, but thicker and fuller.

IV. The second, or Italian Corn-Flag, is like unto the former French kind, in its Root, Leaf, and Flower, without any other difference, than that the Root is fmatter, and browner, the Leaf and Stalk of a darker color and the Flowers ( darker also in their color, and a little smaller ) standing out on both sides the Stalk.

V. The third, or Turky Corn-Flag, except that it is larger in its Roots, Leaves, and Flowers, is like in all things to the first Cora-Flag _·, the Flowers on this standing only on one side, of a deeper Red color, and being later in the Lear bei rore they appear^ viz. after alt the rest are past. Tf/e Root is netted in this, as plainly as in any of the cttiers ; it as plentifully also encreases, but is more tender, astd kjs able to abide our cold Winters.

VI. The fourth is lite unto the FrencR Corn-Flag in all refpetls, excepting only that the Flowers are of a pale red color, tenting to whiteness^ commonly called a Blujh color.

VII. The fifth differs not from the last, excepting that the Roots are whiter on the outside, the Leaves are greener, without any brmnnessor dark-ness, as in the former, and the Flowers are of a pure Snow white color.

VIII. The sixth differs not from any of the former, but in the smallness of the Leaves, Stalk and flowers, which stand all on one side, like unto the French kind, and of the same color: and the Root of this sort is netted more than any of the others.

IX. The seventh, or Water Gladiol has a matted bufhy fibrous Root _·, from whence rise up Leaves about a fpan long, thick and hollow, with a Partition in their middle, like as you fee in the Cods of Stock-gilliflowers, and the like : their Color is green, and Taste sweet, so that they are an acceptable Food to Wild Ducks, diving to the bottom of the Water ; for they sometime lye some Tards under Water 5 which notwithstanding are over-topt by the Stalk, which springs up from among those Leaves, and bears Flowers of a white color, and larger than those of Stock-gilliflowers : but in that hollow part which is next to the Stalk, they are of a blewish color, almost inshape resembling the Flowers of the Corn-Flag, but not absolutely like them. They consist of five Leaves, whereof the two uppermost are refietfed towards the Stalk; the three other being broader, hang downwards : after the Flowers are past, round pointed Vessels follow, filled with red Seed.

X. The Places. Their Titles, of the chief, generally show from whence they first came : but with us they are only nurs'd up in Gardens : they seem to be Natural to Barbary, where John Tradescant Jaw many Acres of Ground overspread with them. In those Countries where they grow Wild, as in Turkey, Italy, Spain, and France, they grow in Meadows, and in Earable Land among Com : and we nave great plenty of them in our Gardens near and

about London, which serve for their Beauty and Ornament. The Water Gladiol is found in same places of West Fnefiand, growing in Waters which have a Gravelly bottom, and which scarcely bring forth any orher Plants besides.

XL The Times. They Flower from May, to the end of June, and sometimes in July _·, but the Byzantine, or Turky, after all the rest, as is above-faid.

XII. The Qualities. They are hot and dry, but in what Degree Authors have not laid : but Galen lays, they have a power to Dry, Attract, Waste and Consume ; and that they have a subtil and digestive Quality.

XIII. The Preparations. You may have therefrom, I. A liquid Juice of the upper Root. 2. An Essence of the same. 3. An Emplaster. 4. A Cataplasm. 5. A Pouder of the Cods and Seed.

The Virtues.

XIV. The liquid Juice. If it is drunk with Red Port Wine, it is laid to cure the Rupture in Chil-dren, called Enterocele, which is when the Guts fall into the Cods.

XV. The Essence of the same. It has the former Virtues, and being drank Morning and Evening for some time, to four or six ounces in a Glass of Sherry Wine, it is said to provoke Lust, and strengthen the Viscera.

XML The Emplaster. It is made of the Root mixed with Frank incense and a little Wine: Being applied, it eases the Pains of the Gout: it also draws forth Thorns, Prickles, Splinters, of broken Bones out of the Flesh _·, it Digests, Maturates, and Cleanses.

XVII. The Cataplasm. It is made of the Root beaten up with Meal of Darnel, and Honey, and a little Lard. It wastes and discusses hard Nodes, lumps of Flesh, and other like hard Tumors. It is also found to be a certain and approved remedy against scrophulous Swellings in the Throat, vulgarly called the King's-Evil.

XVIII. The Pouder of the Cods and Seed. If it is drank in Goats, or AiTes Milk, to one dram, or more, Morning and Evening, as also in the time of the Paroxysm of the Colick, it eases the pains of the Colick: but if it is drank in Juniper Water, it is much better.

Botanologia, or The English Herbal, was written by William Salmon, M.D., in 1710.