702 Ulisse Aldrovandi

were fading away; for this reason, some appeared unfit for producing seed. On the side where the flower shone blue, several curved tails could be seen underneath, whereas on the green part of the flower, there were none, as can be observed in the provided illustration.

Lastly, among the plants with monstrous flowers, we place a certain species of *Amellus*. Caspar Bauhin lists it among the fourteen varieties of *Aster Atticus* under the name *Aster Tripolii* with a variegated flower. It is called otherwise by Lobelius in his illustrations as the "Lesser Aster of Narbonne" with a *Tripolium* flower, or a flower like Toadflax (*Linaria*), as recorded in the *Adversaria* by Pierre Pena. Since the flowers of this plant shine with a mixture of gold and purple, some have argued it to be the *Aster Atticus* of Dioscorides and the *Amellus* of Virgil. It claims the name "Aster" (Star) because its petals are arranged like a radiating star, and it took the name "Attic" because it grew more frequently in the Athenian countryside than elsewhere. Finally, it is called *Amellus* because it grows quite often near the Mella, a river of Gaul; for Virgil used to sing of it in this manner:

"In the mown valleys the shepherds gather it near the winding river Mella."

This kind of plant grew in public gardens from seed sent from Belgium, and so it was decided to name it the "Belgian Amellus." Eventually, either because of the soil being saturated with manure or some other cause, it degenerated into a monster, as appears in Illustration XX. There, the leafy matter and the material intended for producing the flower became confused, generating a monstrous flower for us.

We have now reached the fruits of plants, which are sometimes brought forth by nature in a monstrous form. Therefore, we will deal first with the fruits of herbs, and then with the fruits of trees, since monsters have occasionally been observed in all of them.

First, we once encountered the fruit of a monstrous teasel (*Dipsacus*). This is the *Dipsacos* of Dioscorides, a type of prickly herb with a tall stem bristling with spines. It has prickly leaves like a lettuce, which embrace the stem in pairs at each joint, forming a hollow basin at the axils where dew or rain is constantly held. This is why the plant found the name *Dipsacus*—meaning "thirsty"—by way of contrast. For this reason, it was later named *sitibunda* ("the thirsty one") by the Latins, because it makes use of the dew or rain captured in its leaf-axils to ward off the injuries of thirst. At the top of the stems, oblong and prickly heads grow like fruit. Although Mattioli and others have designated this plant as the "Basin" or "Bath of Venus" (*Labrum* or *Lavacrum Veneris*), as Cesalpino believes, it is because the water found in this herb can clear up spots or blemishes on the face.

Two types of this plant are recognized: the cultivated and the wild. The cultivated type is called "Fuller’s Thistle," since fullers use its prickly fruit or head to comb and polish raw woolen fabrics before they are dyed; consequently, it is sown in many regions for great profit. Lobelius and Tragus call it the "Cultivated Fuller’s Thistle," while Bauhin calls it the "Cultivated Dipsacus with a white flower." A fruit or head of this plant was once found that was not pointed at the top according to its usual habit, but was instead somewhat quadrangular, as if it were about to produce four other heads from it, as shown in Figure XXI.

Furthermore, the bean—called *kyamos* by Dioscorides for its fertility—is a very well-known plant. Its seed is the largest among the legumes; the larger it is, the more it is flattened along its length and the less round it is. Beans are enclosed in pods; for the most part they are white or black, or a reddish-purple color. The flowers are either white with conspicuous black spots, or a dark purple. There are cultivated and wild beans, and the cultivated are further divided into larger and smaller varieties.

In the smaller cultivated variety, we observed pods that were glued together by nature, resulting in a single double-pod, as if they were twins. This can be seen on the upper side of the casing opposite the stem, where a split pod is attached, as the reader can observe in Illustration XXII.