The Voynich Manuscript/F7r

Transcription, comments, theories, links to do with VMs page f7r to be added here... :-)

Description:

One plant with no leaves and a single huge flower, spanning the entire height and width of the page.

Root: a short, vertical, cylindrical stem that splits into two almost horizontal mousetails.

Stem: straight, vertical.

Branches: none.

Leaves: none.

Flowers: a single flower at the tip of the stem.

Stalk: not visible, or indistinguishable from stem.

Chalyx: eight symmetrical sepals, shaped like long parabolas.

Corolla: four layers, of decreasing sizes, each having four symmetric petals, located diagonally with respect to the previous layer.

Core: none.

Two paragraphs (with 4.3 lines and 4.5 lines), both left- and right-justified: one at the top, interrupted by the flower; one just below mid-page, interrupted by the main stem.

Comments:

Petersen has identified this plant with high confidence as

Nymphaea alba (white water lily, seerose)

http://www.runeberg.org/nordflor/181.html

http://linnaeus.nrm.se/flora/di/nymphaea/nymph/nympcan2.jpg

There is indeed a good match in the shape and arrangement of the petals and sepals. Also, the lack of leaves and branches in f7v is plausibly explained by the fact that Nymphaea's flowers float on the water's surface, and thus may have been hidden from the artist's view.

But if f7v is Nymphaea alba, then what do we make of f2v?