The Description.
This admirable Plant, called the Marvell of Peru, or the Marvell of the World, springs forth of the ground like unto Basil in leaves; among which it sendeth out a stalke two cubits and a halfe high, of the thicknesse of a finger, full of juice, very firme, and of a yellowish green colour, knotted or kneed with joints somewhat bunching forth, of purplish colour, as in the female Balsamina: which stalke divideth it selfe into sundry branches or boughes, and those also knottie like the stalke. His branches are decked with leaves growing by couples at the joints like the leaves of wilde Peascods, greene, fleshy, and full of joints; which being rubbed doe yeeld the like unpleasant smell as wilde Peascods do, and are in taste also very unsavory, yet in the later end they leave a tast and sharp smack of Tabaco. The stalks toward the top are garnished with long hollow single floures, folded as it were into five parts before they be opened; but being fully blown, do resemble the floures of Tabaco, not ending in sharp corners, but blunt & round as the flours of Bindweed, and larger than the floures of Tabaco, glittering oft times with a fine purple or crimson colour, many times of an horse-flesh, sometimes yellow, sometimes pale, and somtime resembling an old red or yellow colour; sometime whitish, and most commonly two colours occupying half the floure, or intercoursing the whole floure with streaks or orderly streames, now yellow, now purple, divided through the whole, having sometime great, somtime little spots of a purple colour, sprinkled and scattered in a most variable order and brave mixture. The ground or field of the whole floure is either pale, red, yellow, or white, containing in the middle of the hollownesse a pricke or pointal set round about with six small strings or chives. The floures are very sweet and pleasant, resembling the Narcisse or white Daffodill, and are very suddenly fading; for at night they are floured wide open, and so continue untill eight of the clocke the next morning, at which time they begin to close (after the maner of Bindweed) especially if the weather be very hot: but the aire being temperat, they remain open the whole day, and are closed only at night, and so perish, one floure lasting but onely one day, like the true Ephemerum or Hemerocallis. This marvellous variety doth not without cause bring admiration to all that observe it. For if the floures be gathered and reserved in severall papers, and compared with those floures that will spring and flourish the next day, you shall easily perceive that one is not like another in colour, though you shall compare one hundred which floure one day, and another hundred which you gather the next day, and so from day to day during the time of their flouring. The cups and huskes which containe and embrace the floures are divided into five pointed sections, which are green, and as it were, consisting of skinnes, wherein is conteined one seed and no more, covered with a blackish skinne, having a blunt point whereon the floure groweth; but on the end next the cup or huske it is adorned with a little five cornered crowne. The seed is as big as a pepper corne, which of it selfe fadeth with any light motion. Within this seed is contained a white kernell, which being bruised, resolveth into a very white pulpe like starch. The root is thicke and like unto a great raddish, outwardly black, and within white, sharpe in taste, wherewith is mingled a superficiall sweetnesse. It bringeth new floures from July unto October in infinite number, yea even untill the frosts doe cause the whole plant to perish: notwithstanding it may be reserved in pots, and set in chambers and cellars that are warme, and so defended from the injurie of our cold climate; provided alwaies that there be not any water cast upon the pot, or set forth to take any moisture in the aire untill March following; at which time it must be taken forth of the pot and replanted in the garden. By this meanes I have preserved many (though to small purpose) because I have sowne seeds that have borne floures in as ample manner and in as good time as those reserved plants.
Of this wonderfull herbe there be other sorts, but not so amiable or so full of varietie, and for the most part their floures are all of one color. But I have since by practise found out another way to keepe the roots for the yere following with very little difficultie, which never faileth. At the first frost I dig up the roots and put up or rather hide the roots in a butter ferkin, or such like vessell, filled with the sand of a river, the which I suffer still to stand in some corner of an house where it never receiveth moisture untill Aprill or the midst of March, if the weather be warme; at which time I take it from the sand and plant it in the garden, where it doth flourish exceeding well and increaseth by roots; which that doth not which was either sowne of seed the same yeere, nor those plants that were preserved after the other manner.
The Place.
The seed of this strange plant was brought first into Spaine, from Peru, whereof it tooke his name Mirabilia Peruana, or Peruviana: and since dispersed into all the parts of Europe: the which my selfe have planted many yeeres, and have in some temperate yeeres received both floures and ripe seed.
The Time.
It is sowne in the midst of Aprill, and bringeth forth his variable floures in September, and perisheth with the first frost, except it be kept as aforesaid.
The Names.
It is called in Peru of those Indians there, Hachal. Of others after their name Hachal Indi: of the high and low Dutch, Solanum Odoriferum: of some, Jasminum Mexicanum: and of Carolus Clusius, Admirabilia Peruviana: in English rather the Marvell of the World, than of Peru alone.
The Nature and Vertues.
We have not as yet any instructions from the people of India, concerning the nature or vertues of this plant: the which is esteemed as yet rather for his rarenesse, beautie, and sweetnesse of his floures, than for any vertues knowne; but it is a pleasant plant to decke the gardens of the curious. Howbeit Jacobus Antonius Cortusus of Padua hath by experience found out, that two drams of the root thereof taken inwardly doth very notably purge waterish humours.