Botanicals, Herbs, Date Tree, Gerard

Left image:"Of the Date tree."
"Palma. the Date tree."
Right image: "Palmarum fructus & flores cum Elate."
"The fruit and floures of the Date tree."

Text about date palms on reverse side.
Part of the lower left margin is missing.
Grayish color in upper right and lower right margins.

Original antique print 

Antique woodcuts by John Gerard from his "Herball" published in 1597. 

The entire work contines text about the medicinal uses of each plant. Gerard was a botanist and apothecary and cultivated his own extensive garden in England. He often noted where the various plants could be found in England and elsewhere. These are some of the earliest prints made of many plants.

Notice the old English spelling of the time!

There are often images on both sides of the page as well as ample text (archaic English!) between the images. Often a bit of the backside text or image is visible on the front. Complete pages have binding marks in margin.

The colored prints have hand coloring. All prints are in good condition for their age unless otherwise mentioned. Minor signs of age and use are normal in prints this old. There is text and / or images on the reverse side.

The Description
He Date tree groweth very great and high: the body or trunke thereof is thicke, and coue-
Tred with a fealy rugged barke, caufed by the falling away of the leases: the boughes grow
onely on the top, confifting of leases fet vpon a wooddy middle rib like thofe of Reeds or
Flags: the inner part of which rib or fialke is foft, light, hollow, and fpongic. Among the leanes
come forth the floures included in a long skinny membrane, as it were a theath or hofe, like that
which couereth the Floure de-Luce before it be blowne, which being opened of it felfe, white
floures ftart forth, ftanding vpon fhort and flender foot-ftalkes, which are faflened with certaine
fmall filaments or threddy ftrings like vnto little branches: after which fpring out from the fame
branches the fruit or Dates, which be in fashion long and round, in tafte fweet, and many times
fomewhat harth, of a yellowish red colour; wherein is contained a long hard ftone, which is in
ftead of kernell and feed the which I haue planted many times in my Garden, and lane growne
to the height of three foot: but the first froft hath nipped them in fuch fort, that foone after
they perifhed, notwithstanding my induftrie by couering them, or what elfe I could doe for their
fuccour.
The Place,
The Date trees grow plentifully in Africa and Egypt, but thofe which are in Paleftina and
Syria,