Nasturtium Indicum. Indian Cresses, or yellow Larkes heeles.
You might be familiar with this common garden plant, nasturtium. Today, its scientific name is Tropaeolum. In the seventeenth century, people soon realised that the flowers tasted good in salads alongside others like burnet and bugloss.
The likenesse (as I said before) of this flower likewise, hauing spurres or heeles maketh me ioyne it with the rest, which is of so great beauty and sweetnesse withall, that my Garden of delight cannot bee vnfurnished of it. This faire plant spreadeth it selfe into very many long trayling branches, enterlaced one within another very confusedly (yet doth it not winde it selfe with any claspers about either pole or any other thing, but if you will haue it abide close thereunto, you must tye it, or else it will lye vpon the ground) foure or fiue foot in length at the least, wherby it taketh vp a great deale of ground: the leaues are smooth, greene, and as round as the Penniwort that groweth on the ground, without any cut or incisure therein at all in any part, the stalkes whereof stand in the middle of each leafe and stand at euery ioynt of the stalke, where they are a little reddish, and knobbed or bunched out: the flowers are of an excellent gold yellow colour, and grow all along these stalkes, almost at euery ioynt with the leaues, vpon pretty long foote-stalkes, which are composed of fiue leaues, not hollow or gaping, but standing open each leafe apart by it selfe, two of them, that be larger and longer then the other, stand aboue and the other two that are lesser belowe, which are a little iagged or bearded on both sides, and the first lowest: in the middle of each of the three lower leaues (yet sometimes it is but in two of them) there is a little long spot or streake, of an excellent crimson colour, with a long heele or spurre behinde hanging downe: the whole flower hath a fine small sent, very pleasing, which being placed in the middle of some Carnations or Gillo[281]flowers (for they are in flower at the same time) make a delicate Tussimussie, as they call it, or Nosegay, both for sight and sent: After the flower is past, come the seede, which are rough or vneuen, round, greenish yellow heads, sometimes but one, and sometimes two or three standing together vpon one stalke, bare or naked of themselues, without any huske, containing a white pulpy kernell; the rootes are small, and spreading vnder ground, which perish with the first frosts, and must be sowne a new euery yeare; yet there needeth no bed of horse-dung for the matter: the naturall ground will be sufficient, so as you defend it a little from those frosts, that may spoile it when it is newly sprung vp, or being yet tender.
The Place.
This goodly plant was first found in the West Indies, and from thence sent into Spaine vnto Monardus and others, from whence all other parts haue receiued it. It is now very familiar in most Gardens of any curiosity, where it yearly giueth ripe seed, except the yeare be very vnkindly.
The Time.
It flowreth sometimes in Iune, but vsually in Iuly (if it be well defended and in any good ground) and so continueth flowring, vntill the cold frosts and mistes in the middle or end of October, doe checke the luxurious nature thereof, and in the meane time the seede is ripe, which will quickly fall downe on the ground, where for the most part the best is gathered.
The Names.
Some doe reckon this plant among the Clematides or Convolvuli, the Clamberers or Bindweedes; but (as I said) it hath no claspers, neither doth it winde it selfe: but by reason of the number of his branches, that run one within another, it may seeme to climbe vp by a pole or sticke, which yet doth but onely close it, as hauing something whereon to leane or rest his branches. Monardus and others call it Flos sanguineus, of the red spots in the flowers, as also Mastuerzo de las Indias, which is Nasturtium Indicum, by which name it is now generally knowne and called, and wee thereafter in English, Indian Cresses, yet it may bee called from the forme of the flowers onely, Yellow Larkes heeles.
The Vertues.
The Spaniards and others vse the leaues hereof in stead of ordinary Cresses, because the taste is somewhat sharpe agreeing thereunto, but other Physicall properties I haue heard of none attributed to it.
This text has been reproduced from Paradisi in Sole (1629) available on Project Gutenburg.