UMBELLIFEROUS PLANTS

The Pill-bearing original: "Piliferæ," likely referring to the Greek "pilla" or "pilula," meaning ball or pill-shaped seeds Umbels known to us fall into two classes. The first is lower-growing and consists of leaves like those of Giant Fennel original: "ferulaceis"; it bears female fruit with a spongy, smooth, and uniform substance, covered in an oblong casing. While still green, these are so closely joined together that they appear as a single unit, and they do not separate until they are fully ripe. Finally, when dried, the individual seeds—which are striated (grooved) on the inside and contained within a smooth, spongy substance—hang from two small fibers that provide their nourishment. This feature is common to nearly all twin seeds of the Umbels.

Observe carefully the first figure of Plate Three, which is titled Cachrys a genus of plants in the carrot family with a smooth, spongy seed. You will see how skillfully the convex surface of the Umbel has been drawn and engraved, laden with seeds still tightly clinging to one another. In the same place, you can clearly see some dried and separated seeds hanging from their fibers; and after the two seeds have fallen, our diligent engraver original: "Chalcographus," literally a copper-writer has shown us with great skill the two remaining fibers. Just to the right, you also have a drawing of its Fennel-like leaf.

The second class, however, is taller and more stately, bearing leaves like Hog’s Fennel original: "Peucedani" but thinner. It likewise has oblong, striated seeds (like the one above) nestled within a spongy substance that is either channeled or furrowed. This class is twofold, based on whether the spongy seed is uniform or uneven: namely, it either has a furrowed, rough spongy seed, or a furrowed, flat one. Thus, there are two species endowed with furrowed seeds, distinguished by the uniformity or roughness of the ridges or furrows; both are gifted with leaves thinner than those of Hog’s Fennel. Therefore, from the difference in the leaves and the smoothness or roughness of the ridges on the spongy seeds, the specific difference between these three Pill-bearing Umbels is manifest to anyone. The generic trait, however, is revealed to all by the spongy substance covering the seed, which is striated within. Regarding the convex shape of all the seeds of these three Umbels, consult Plate 3 of the Illustrations.

Location and Season.

The first two species of Libanotis literally "Frankincense-herb," so named for its scent grow in the high mountains of Italy and France, also in Africa, and on the islands of Crete original: "Candia" and Sicily. We received the seeds of the Cachrys with the rough, furrowed, spongy seed from Rome, sent by the most learned and expert botanist, Jacques Barrelier, Doctor of Sacred Theology. Later, we saw the plant itself heavy with seed in Paris at the home of Mr. Morin, called "the Englishman." The seed of the Cachrys with the flat, furrowed, spongy seed was sent to me from Tangier original: "Mauritaniâ Tingitanâ" by the noble Englishman Alexander Balam, a great student of botany. As I write this, in the garden of Edward Morgan—located behind the Western monastery called Westminster [Abbey], the most expert of all botanical gardeners I have ever visited—the plant is laden with seeds. These seeds are three times smaller than those of the mature plant shown in our Plate 3 of Illustrations, because this plant bore seeds only in its third year after sowing; as it grows older, it will bear larger ones. They all produce flowers and perfect their seeds toward the end of summer.

Names

Libanotis is so called because it smells of frankincense original: "thus libanum" or "olibanum". This is common to many other umbelliferous plants. The first is the Cachrys-bearing Libanotis of Camerarius. The True Cachrys of Lobel. It is so named because it has a burning quality like an iron pill original: "pilulæ ferreæ" which was used to brand the skin with cautery, which the Greeks called cachrys or canchrys. It is called White Libanotis by Cesalpino. The illustration of this plant is not well-presented by any author; therefore, I judged that the umbel and the leaf of this and the following two species should be drawn and engraved anew. The second set of leaves is shown by Parkinson in the appendix to his "Theater" under the title Galen’s Genuine Libanotis Leaf, but no seeds are depicted. The first is also shown by Parkinson under the name Cachrys-bearing Libanotis, or True Cachrys; an illustration of the same is also given by J. Bauhin with the seed. But since it is nowhere well-depicted, I thought it would not be out of place to present illustrations of all three of these Libanotids, with the leaves and seeds that establish their specific differences. Let whoever discovers more species of this genus add them. I do not speak of things I have not seen (as do the majority of botanists who merely transcribe from others). See Plate Three of the Illustrations, and consult the General Table of Umbel Seeds marked Aa Bb Cc.

Powers and Temperament.

It is of a hot and dry temperament, and has the power to heat and dry vehemently, as do all the frankincense-bearing Umbels. It provokes the menses, draws out urine, and excites sweating. Regarding its powers, consult Jean Bauhin, page 38, part 1, volume three, column 1, who there describes at length the faculties or powers of Libanotis.