The Description.
1 The great mountain Lilly hath a cloved bulb or scaly root like those of the red Lilly, yellow of colour, very small in respect of the greatnesse of the plant; from the which riseth up a stalke, somtimes two or three, according to the age of the plant, whereof the middle stalke commonly turneth from his roundnesse into a flat forme, as those of the white Lilly of Constantinople. Upon these stalks do grow faire leaves of a blackish greene colour, in roundles and spaces as the leaves of Woodroofe, not unlike to the leaves of white Lilly, but smaller at the top of the stalkes. The floures be in number infinite, or at the least hard to be counted, very thicke set or thrust together, of an overworne purple, spotted on the inside with many smal specks of the colour of rusty iron. The whole floure doth turne it selfe backward at such time as the sun hath cast his beames upon it, like unto the Tulipa or Turks cap, as the Lilly or Martagon of Constantinople doth; from the middle whereof do come forth tender pendants hanging thereat, of the colour the floure is spotted with.
2 The small mountain Lilly is very like unto the former in root, leafe, stalk, and floures: differing in these points, The whole plant is lesse, the stalke never leaveth his round forme, and beareth fewer floures.
The small sort I have had many yeares growing in my garden, but the greater I have not had til of late, given me by my loving friend Mr James Garret Apothecarie of London.
There hath not bin any thing left in writing either of the nature or vertues of these plants: notwithstanding we may deem, that God which gave them such seemely and beautifull shape, hath not left them without their peculiar vertues, the finding out whereof we leave to the learned and industrious searcher of Nature.