Of Italian Rocket.
The description.
1 Italian Rocket hath long leaues cut into many parts or diuisions like those of the Ashe tree, resembling Ruellius his Buckes horne: among which rise vp stalkes weake and tender, but thicke and grosse, two foote high, garnished with many small yellowish flowers like the middle part of Tansie flowers, of a naughtie fauour or smell. The seede is small like sande or dust, in taste like Rocket seede, whereof in truth we suspect it to be a kinde. The roote is long and wooddie. 2 Crambling Rocket hath many large leaues cut into sundry sections, deeply thrust to the middle ribbe, braunched like the hornes of a stag or hart: among which there do rise vp long, fat & fleshie stalkes two cubites high, lying flat vpon the grounde by reason of his weake and feeble braunches. The flowers growe at the top clustering thicke togither, yellow of colour like those of Diers weede. The seede is like the former. | 1 Reseda Plinii. | 2 Reseda maxima. | | :--- | :--- | | Italian Rocket. | Crambling Rocket. |
The place.
These plants do growe in sandie, stonie, grauely, and chalkie barren grounds. I haue founde them in sundrie places of Kent, as at Southfleete neere master Swannes house vpon longfielde downes, which is a chalkie and hilly ground, very barren, where grasse will scarsely growe or any thing else but Iuniper and these plants. They grow at Greene-hithe vpon the hils neere vnto the village, and in other places of Kent: but I haue not seene them else-where, although I doubt not but that they grow in other places of this lande.
The time.
These plants do flourish in Iune, Iuly, and August.
The names.
The first is called of Plinie, Reseda, Eruca peregrina, and Eruca Cantabrica: in English Italian Rocket. The second is called likewise of Plinie, Reseda, and Reseda maxima, of Anguillara Pignomon, whereof I finde nothing extant woorthie the memorie, either of temperature or vertues.
Text in Gerard's own spelling (the long s is printed as s), transcribed by the Source Library (CC BY-SA 4.0). A chapter may run onto pages not yet transcribed. Gerard wrote within Galenic medicine; nothing here is advice.