John Gerard, The Herball (London, 1597)
Gerard directed the gardens of William Cecil (Lord Burghley), Queen Elizabeth’s chief executive. In this capacity, Gerard maintained contacts with naturalists around the world who sent him both exotic plants and the soil to grow them in. The first illustration of the “Virginia potato” appears in this volume. The history of the world would have been quite different if the potato had never been brought to Europe from the Americas.
Gerard grew and described many American plants, including chili peppers, squash, pumpkins, gourds, and Turkie corn, which was cultivated by the Mayans as a staple crop. Although maize originated in Mexico, it became known as Turkey Corn (Turcicum, Türchlich Korn) because it was shipped to Europe through Turkey and the Ottoman empire.
Gerard’s herbal throws light upon the meanings of plants mentioned by Shakespeare and other contemporary English authors.
