The Voynich Manuscript/F9v
Transcription, comments, theories, links to do with VMs page f9v to be added here... :-)
Description:
editOne plant, flush against the right and bottom edges, reaching almost to the top.
- Root: a bundle of thin wires. Dark overpaint?
- Stem: one straight. Light color.
- Branches: two symmetrical pairs, oblique.
- Leaves: the four lower ones are medium width, lance-shaped, with smooth edges; the others have the same outline but are deeply cut into five narrow points. Dark color.
- Stalk: short, mostly missing.
- Flowers: five, at the tips of stem and branches.
- Stalk: medium length, thin
- Chalyx: flat or everted, with short triangular sepals, partly hidden by corolla.
- Petals: five rounded petals, a large one on top, the others like "arms and legs".
- Core: very small. Medium and dark colors.
Two paragraphs (with 3.7 and 7.7 lines) at the top, left-justified. The first one is right-justified; the second one follows the plant's profile on the right. Both are interrupted in several places by the flowers and leaves.
Comments:
editPetersen identifies this plant, with high confidence, as "Viola trinitalis". I coudn't find such species, but "herba trinitatis" is the herbalists' name for Viola tricolor (heartsease,wild pansy) [1,2,3].
Indeed, comparing f9v with a drawing by Carl Lindman [1], we see an almost perfect match --- including the roots, and the two types of leaves.
Dennis Mardle [10 Oct 1998] observes that the details match also Viola arvensis (field pansy), which hybridises with V. tricolor and is very similar in shape, including especially the dimorphic leaves [1,4].
The colors may help resolve this issue. The flowers of Viola tricolor are usually purple and white with yellow core; Lindman's drawing shows V. arvensis as white (or light blue?) with yellow core. Jim Reeds color list [03 Mar 1998] reports some blue on this page, to be confirmed.
In either case, there is one odd detail: the flowers in f9v are upside-down. Also the two bottom flowers are somewhat different.
Viola tricolor was used internally to treat epilepsy, asthma and bronchitis (whole plant), as an emetic and purgative (seeds) and as a heart tonic (flowers). Externally it was used to treat skin diseases [2]. The flowers are reported to be edible.
References:
edit[1] Carl Axel Magnus Lindman
- Bilder ur Nordens Flora
- 227. A. Styvmorsviol, Viola tricolor L.; B. Åkerviol, Viola arvensis Murr.
- http://www.runeberg.org/nordflor/
- http://www.runeberg.org/nordflor/227.html
[2] Mrs. M. Grieve, F.R.H.S.
- A Modern Herbal
- Viola tricolor - Heartsease
- http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/mgmh.html
- http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/h/hearts10.html
[3] ECNC DATABASE: SAXIFRAGA European Flora Slides
- Viola tricolor ssp. tricolor
- http://www.ecnc.nl/doc/ecnc/saxifrag/euroflor.html
- http://www.ecnc.nl/gif/viotritr.gif
[4] ECNC DATABASE: SAXIFRAGA European Flora Slides
- Viola Arvensis Murr.
- http://www.ecnc.nl/doc/ecnc/saxifrag/euroflor.html
- http://www.ecnc.nl/gif/vioarv.gif