The Description.
Bitter-sweet bringeth forth wooddy stalks as doth the Vine, parted into many slender creeping branches, by which it climeth and taketh hold of hedges and shrubs next unto it. The barke of the oldest stalks are rough and whitish, of the colour of ashes, with the outward rind of a bright green colour, but the yonger branches are green as are the leaves: the wood brittle, having in it a spongie pith: it is clad with long leaves, smooth, sharp pointed, lesser than those of the Bindweed. At the lower part of the same leaves doth grow on either side one smal or lesser leafe like unto two eares. The floures be small, and somewhat clustered together, consisting of five little leaves apiece of a perfect blew colour, with a certain pricke or yellow pointal in the middle: which being past, there do come in place faire berries more long than round, at the first green, but very red when they be ripe; of a sweet taste at the first, but after very unpleasant, of a strong savor, growing together in clusters like burnished coral. The root is of a mean bignesse, and full of strings.
I have found another sort which bringeth forth most pleasant white flours, with yellow pointals in the middle: in other respects agreeing with the former.
The Place.
Bitter-sweet growes in moist places about ditches, rivers, and hedges, almost everie where.
The other sort with the white floures I found in a ditch side, against the right honourable the Earle of Sussex his garden wall, at his house in Bermondsey street by London, as you go from the court which is full of trees, unto a ferm house neere thereunto.
The Time.
The leaves come forth in the spring, the flours in July, the berries are ripe in August.
The Names.
The later Herbarists have named this plant dulcamara, Amarodulcis, & Amaradulcis; Pliny calleth it Melortum: Theophrastus, Vitis sylvestris: in English we call it Bitter-sweet, and wooddy Nightshade. But every Author must for his credit say something, although but to smal purpose; for Vitis sylvestris is that which wee call our Ladies Seale, which is no kinde of Nightshade.
The Vertues.
The juice is good for those that have fallen from high places, and have been thereby bruised, or dry-beaten.