The Description.
The great Blew-Bottle hath long leaves smooth, soft, downy, and sharp pointed: among the leaves rise up crooked and pretty thicke branches, chamfered, furrowed, and garnished with such leaves as are next the ground: on the tops wherof stand faire blew flours tending to purple, consisting of divers little flours, set in a scaly huske or knap like those of Knapweed: the seed is rough or bearded at one end, smooth at the other and shining: the root is tough and long lasting (contrary to the rest of the Corne-floures) and groweth yearly into new shoots whereby it greatly encreaseth.
2 The common Corn-floure hath leaves spred upon the ground, of a whitish green colour, somwhat hackt or cut in the edges like those of corne Scabious: among which riseth up a stalke divided into divers small branches, whereon do grow long leaves of an overworne green colour, with few cuts or none at all. The floures grow at the top of the stalks, of a blew colour, consisting of many smal floures set in a scaly or chaffie head like those of the Knapweeds: the seed is smooth, bright shining, and wrapped in a woolly or flocky matter. The root is small and single, and perisheth when it hath perfected his seed.
3 This Bottle is like to the last described in each respect, saving in the colour of the floures, which are purple, wherein consisteth the difference.
4 The fourth Bottle is also like the precedent, not differing in any point but in the floures; for as the last before mentioned are of a purple colour, contrariwise these are milke white, which sets forth the difference.
The Place.
The first groweth in my garden, and in the gardens of Herbarists, but not wilde that I know of. The others grow in corn fields among Wheat, Rie, Barley, and other graine: it is sowne in gardens, and by cunning looking to doth oft times become of other colours, and some also double, as hath beene touched in their severall descriptions.
The Time.
They bring forth their floures from the beginning of May to the end of Harvest.
The Names.
The old Herbarists call it Cyanus flos, of the blew colour which it naturally hath: in Italian, Baptisecula, as though it should be called Blaptisecula, because it hindereth and annoyeth the Reapers, by dulling and turning the edges of their sicles in reaping of corne: in English it is called Blew-Bottle, Blew-Blow, Corne-floure, and hurt-Sicle.
The Temperature and Vertues.
The faculties of these floures are not yet sufficiently known. Sith there is no use of them in physicke, we will leave the rest that might be said to a further consideration: notwithstanding some have thought the common Blew-Bottle to be of temperature something cold, and therefore good against the inflammation of the eyes, as some thinke.