It hath been sent out of Italy by the name of _Lilium Alexandrinum_, The Lilly of Alexandria, but it hath no affinity with any Lilly. Others call it _Hyacinthus Arabicus_; and the Italians, _Iacintho del pater nostro_; but it is no Iacinth neither, although the flowers be like some of them. Some also would referre it to a _Narcissus_ or Daffodill, and it doth as little agree with it, as with a Lilly, although his flowers in largenesse and whitenesse resemble a Daffodill. Clusius hath most fitly referred it to the stocke or kindred of _Ornithogala_, or Starres of Bethlehem, as wee call them in English, and from the Turkish name, _Zumbul Arabi_, entituled it _Ornithogalum Arabicum_, although _Zumbul_, as I haue before declared, is with them, a Iacinth, wee may call it in English, The Arabian Starre-flower, or Starre of Bethlehem, or the great Starre-flower of Arabia. 1. _Ornithogalum maximum album._ The greatest white Starre-flower, or Starre of Bethlehem. This great Starre-flower hath many faire, broad, long, and very fresh green leaues, rising vp very early, and are greater, longer, and greener then the leaues of any Orientall Iacinth, which doe abide greene, from the beginning or middle of Ianuary, or before sometimes, vntill the end of May, at which time they begin to fade, and the stalke with the head of flowers beginneth to rise, so that it will haue either few or no leaues at all, when the flowers are blowne: the stalke is strong, round, and firme, rising two foote high or more, bearing at the toppe a great bush of flowers, seeming at the first to be a great greene eare of corne, for it is made spike-fashion, which when the flowers are blowne, doth rise to be very high, slender or small at the head aboue, and broad spread and bushing below, so that it is long in flowring; for they flower below first, and so vpwards by degrees: these flowers are snow white, without any line on the backside, and is therein like vnto the former, as also in whitenesse, but nothing so large, with a white vmbone or head in the middle, beset with many white threeds, tipt with yellow: the seede is blacke and round, contained in three square heads: the roote is great, thicke, and short, and somewhat yellowish on the outside, with a flat bottome, both like the former, and next that followeth. 2. _Ornithogalum maius spicatum album._ The great white spiked Starre-flower.