This is a placeholder page.
I have a mass of information on the Voynich Manuscript plants on my hard drive and I am uploading them and linking the pictures as I have time. This is not easy, since I am working long days, these days, but I’ll get the task done as quickly as I am able.
Please note. This blog was originally posted July 19, 2013, and I immediately removed it and inserted a placeholder because I thought to myself, “Am I giving too much away? Will this help someone else solve the VMS before I have a chance to solve it?” It took a few years to acknowledge that the VMS was going to be much harder to decipher than I assumed and might even require a coordinated effort among researchers, so I have enlarged a couple of the drawings, updated the fonts, and posted it again.
This is the image that started it all—the drawing that hooked me on the VMS… Folio 2v appears at first glance to be some kind of aquatic plant with a fringed flower, and it shows not only a leaf and flower, but the side-growing root, as well.
I‘m interested in plants, and I had never seen such an amazing drawing of a side-growing root (called a “rhizome”) in a medieval manuscript. It’s not only an excellent portrayal at a time when accuracy took second place to tradition, but holds some important clues to how the drawings are composed and where the plant might have originated.
But I was perplexed because 2v didn’t have a typical water lily flower. The pistil is long and hirsute, there are only four petals, and they are fringed. Also, the calyx is stubby and indented. Obviously it wasn’t Nymphaeaceae, a family common to Eurasia and Africa, but due to the accuracy of the rhizome, I assumed there must be other wetland plants that would match the flower more closely. So, late in 2007, I started scouring the Web for a match.
Why look for wetland plants? Because this kind of rhizome is not practical for a land-dwelling plant that has to push its way through soil. There are many terrestrial plants with rhizomes, and even some with leaf scars (such as Solomon’s seal), but very few plants outside of aquatic, coastal, or swampy environments have this specific form of rhizome.
If the Voynich Manuscript did not have this drawing, my interest would probably have fizzled by 2009. Fantasy plants or poorly drawn plants don’t offer much help in deciphering cryptic text. There are other recognizable plants in the VMS, including viola and salsify, and possibly ricinus and cannabis, but they are common plants and less helpful in determining origin. Assuming the text is related to the drawings, identifying 2v might be useful.
So how does one interpret this drawing?
Let’s start with the leaf, since that’s what most people recognize. With most plants, the root is hidden, and the flowers of wetland plants can be quite variable, but kidney-shaped leaves (called “reniforme”) are distinctive enough to catch one’s attention.
Reniforme leaves can be smooth, serrated, or elegantly scalloped. Some have deep indentations where the stem attaches to the leaf, others have narrow or rounded indentations. Here are some examples:
Notice the different patterns in the veins. The primary veins originate at the deepest part of the indentation, but flow out differently, depending on the species. Some are straight, some rounded, some arch back in toward the top.
The 2v veins have been lightly sketched with wiggly lines running to the outer margin. I have added arrows to make them easier to see. The lower-right vein seems out of place—it runs from margin to margin rather than starting in the center and there’s something tentative about the veins—there’s not enough detail to trust their accuracy, but the way they arc is closer to Soldanella or Caltha palustris than most other reniforme plants :
Note that the indentation where the stem attaches to the leaf is distinctly rounded, similar to Heteranthera, Parnassia, and Asarum. This shape is not characteristic of Nymphaea species, which usually have V-shaped indentations, or Nelumbo, which is typically round, with the stem attaching near the center:
So what kind of plant is 2v?
There are about two hundred commonly known species with reniforme leaves and about two-thirds of these have smooth margins. They range in size from delicate thumb-sized alpine snowbells, miniature honey-suckles, and tropical Geophilas, to water lilies so large, they can support the weight of a child. There are even spore-bearing ferns with kidney-shaped leaves.
Many reniforme plants spread through rhizomes. The root inches sideways, under water or soil (usually moist soil), to send up new shoots at a distance from the old plant. As the old leaves fall off, a pattern of scars is left behind. Since there is less soil to impede them, aquatic plants may have rhizomes that are many meters long.
Some plants, like Cochlearia officinalis, Cyclamen, and Oxyria reniformis have tap roots, corms, tendrils (like buttercup), or runners that spread above ground rather than beneath ground or water, so there isn’t one kind of root specific to reniforme plants, as these examples illustrate:
The VMS rhizome is not professionally drawn, but it’s pretty good—there’s an effort to document important structures ignored by other botanical illustrators. Note the series of nubs to the left, where the the old stems dropped off, with dots to indicate the vascular pores. The scaly growth with a rounded head, to the right, is where new leaves will emerge in the next growing season. Plants with this form of rhizome don’t always have a scaly root-cap on the leading edge, which helps to narrow down possible IDs for this plant.
Even though the leaf and flower don’t match 2v, the roots of some Nymphaea species are similar to the VMS. In the following images, note how the two roots have different shapes and patterns of leaf scars. As the leaves die out, they resemble fossils from Jurassic Park (right):
There are a number of species with leaves and flowers that look like 2v. Some of these also have similar roots:
Nymphoides peltata, a Eurasian plant, has fringed yellow flowers and reniforme leaves, but the calyx has slender points, and the pistils are not typically long. Villarsia nymphoides, the fringed water lily, is a European species very similar to Nymphoides peltata. Villarsia reniformis, an Australian plant, is similar as well, and often has an extended pistil. The leaves will sometimes stand up in much the same manner as the VMS drawing.
There are terrestrial plants that are smilar, as well. Examples include Parnassia fimbriata, a wetland plant with lightly fringed white petals, an extended style, and reniforme leaves, and Calystegia soldanella (right), a coastal plant with an extended pistil, slightly ruffled petals, and running rhizomes. Also Asarum europaeum, which has reniforme leaves and extensive rhizomes, although the flower looks more like a jug. Even some species of Malva bear similarities to the flowers and the leaf, but the rhizome is not a good match. Very few terrestrial plants include these traits together with a rhizome with leaf scars that match as closely as water-loving plants.
Thus, the small aquatic and semi-aquatic plants variously known as Nymphoides/Villarsia/Menyanthes/Ornduffia match well to most aspects of the VMS plant, depending on the species. They differ in that the calyx tends to be a little longer and more pointed than Plant 2v, there are five petals rather than 4, and not all species have an extended pistil/style or significant leaf scars, but some do. This category of plants is native to Asia/Malaysia, Australia, Europe, parts of Africa, and the Americas, so there are many possible origins.
It’s difficult to pinpoint a species without detailed images of the rhizomes, and very few are currently documented online, but perhaps in time they will become available so that tentative identifications of Plant 2r can be confirmed or denied. One thing is certain however—if all parts of the plant are taken into consideration, the VMS plant matches floating hearts and their cousins (and even Calystegia soldanella) much more closely than the larger Nymphaeas and Nelumbos that we typically associate with the term “water lily”.
J.K. Petersen
© Copyright 2013 J.K. Petersen, All Rights Reserved
Description
Folio 2r features a large plant drawing occupying most of the page from the bottom edge almost to the top, and from almost the right side nearly to the left text margin.
There are two text blocks. The top is broken across the three stems the branch to flower heads. The bottom is broken across a branching stalk.
Most of the stake is painted green and brick red, with the red occuping most of the stem area with the exception of the base of the plant. The top stems that branch to the flower heads are painted red and green.
The leaves are narrowly elliptical or lanceolate and overlap somewhat. Whether they are illustrated as somewhat flattened (as in a herbarium sample) or simply as being behind each other from the point of view of the illustrator is not entirely clear. The leaves are painted a fairly even green and are not serrated. The central group of leaves looks like it may have parallel veins, but the veins are only clear on this group, not on the others.
The flower heads have a scaly look to them, illustrated with red and green dots. It could simply be dots on the calyx, but the one on the right also has underlying lines that indicate a scaly texture such as is common on many thistles and asters. The petals are numerous, fuzzy, and have been painted in with a very light reddish color. Perhaps the illustrator was trying to achieve pink by watering down the brick red or maybe was shading it to resemble an off-white. The pigment on the leaves appears to be applied with a somewhat coarse brush that can’t quite fit into the tiny tips. All the VM plants seem to represent a certain haste or impatience with painting. The penned parts show far more patience and attention to detail. It appears the illustrator may have been more comfortable with pens than brushes, assuming the plants, text, and maps were drawn by the same person.
The scaly calyxes are somewhat narrow and vase-shaped and small in relation to the feathery layers of blossoms or seed fuzz.
Prior Identifications
Edith Sherwood has identified VM 2r as Ferula foetida (devil’s dung) but F. foetida has umbellate flowers and feathery leaves that are more frondlike than Plant 2r. F. foetida also lacks the “scaly” calyx and feathery petals illustrated in the VM plant.
I doubt whether VM 24 is Ferula. I think it’s far more likely that VM 2r is a species of Centauria (e.g., knapweed) or other member of the Aster family. It’s probably not burdock (Arctium), which has a thicker, more rounded calyx.
Not all Centaurea have the alternating appearance on the calyx—on some, the little “scales” (known as phyllaries or bracts) are sometimes tipped or outlined in a darker color rather than alternating in color and some are so profusely hairy that the bracts are almost hidden. C. artgentea has a more alternated calyx, due to the fuller thicker brown tips, but the leaves are rounded and more deeply lobed (and pale green in color) and not a good match for VM 2r.
Brown knapweed (Centaurea jacea) might be a possibility. It has bracts with a somewhat alternating appearance, feathery pink petals and stamens, a scaly calyx that varies between a reddish-brown and pale green, and leaves that resemble clumps when the samples are flattened and dried. Centaurea nigra has many similar characteristics and could also be considered (C. jacea and C. nigra are so closely related that they can interbreed).
Many of the Centaurea have stiff woody root systems, although most tend to be taproots rather than the horizontal curved shapes illustrated in VM 2r. One wonders if the column-like representation of the roots is intended to show spreading curling roots or is symbolic in some way. There are some Cirsiums with spreading roots similar to 2r but they tend to have leaves that are spiny or toothed.
I think there is a much higher probability that Plant 2r is a species of aster, possibly one of the Centauria that has a narrow calyx, rather than a species of Ferula. Centauria is a widespread plant often mentioned as a medicinal herb and sometimes used as animal fodder.
Posted by J.K. Petersen
Description
This is a large plant occupying most of the page, with two text blocks broken across the lower stem.
The plant is distinctively painted red and green. The center stalk shows red on the right and green on the left. The side stalks somewhat alternate red and green. This could mean that red and green leaves are present on the plant or that one side of the leaf might be red, the other green (or contrasting colors that are symbolized by red and green, since the VM illustrator had a limited palette).
The leaves appear to be elliptical clasping, or possibly sagittate clasping (or at least positioned very close to the stem. The branching stems have been left uncolored, as has the calyx in which a rounded, dark brown shape, possibly a berry, nestles. The central stalk is shown erect (perhaps to show the flower head more clearly?) and the side stems curve gently.
The root is distinctive, very large, with a semi-even rough texture rendered over the whole surface, and claw-like side roots. In fact, the whole shape of the root resembles bear feet, except that there are three nodes rather than two.
Prior Identifications
Edith Sherwood has identified this as deadly nightshade (Atropa belladonna). It originally occurred to me that it might be some form of nightshade due to the berry-like shape at the end of the top stem and the vine-like curve to the left and right branches, especially since some species of nightshade can have large roots, but there are a number of ways in which nightshade differs from the Voynich plant, so I didn’t want to assume VM 1v was nightshade until I had looked at other possibilities.
One thing that stands out about the VM plant drawing is the way the leaves are attached—whereas nightshade leans toward having petioles, the VM leaves appear to be clasping (or nearly so). The VM plant alternates red and green but nightshade is usually a fairly consistent shade of green. Nightshade stems can sometimes be reddish. The VM “berry” is at the end of the stalk, whereas nightshade berries grow from the nodes, and the calyx of the VM plant is rounded, not pointed like Atropa belladonna. Perhaps the most significant difference between the VM plant and Atropa belladonna is that the leaves of nightshade are alternate, whereas the VM 1v leaves are predominantly opposite.
In other words, the VM plant only superficially resembles Atropa belladonna and there are many other plants that resemble it more closely. It might be an inexpertly drawn version of nightshade, but even an amateur illustrator can usually tell the difference between opposite and alternate leaves, so I’m putting nightshade off to the side, at least for now.
Disappointed at abandoning nightshade, a plant I rather like and which grows in my garden, I searched for other vines that have berries or cup-shaped flowers with a rounded calyx. I also kept in mind that VM 1v might not be a vine at all, but I’m inclined to think it is—not the kind that sends out tendrils and climbs like a pea but a plant that is semi-upright and tends to lean and curve as the branches get longer. I concentrated on plants with opposite leaves, even though there is an occasional leaf on VM 1v that isn’t perfectly opposite. While most plants tend to “choose” one or the other, not all plants hold slavishly to specific leaf patterns, some will have opposite leaves near the base and smaller alternate leaves near the ends of branches, for example.
The VM illustrator teases us by not making it clear whether the knob at the top is a flower or berry and by not indicating whether the plant has radiating or parallel veins (or perhaps it’s a clue that the veins are less obvious than on other plants). As with many of the drawings, there’s enough information to tantalize without making the identification truly obvious.
Alternate Identifications
Lonicera, the familiar honeysuckle, has opposite leaves that are somewhat clasping and sometimes perfoliate. It is a somewhat stiff vine and some species have berries at the end of branches rather than at the nodes. The leaves do not alternate red and green but the stems are often reddish. Interesting also is that in several of the Lonicera species you have to look closely to see the radiating veins—the central vein is visible, but the smaller veinlets are not as contrasty or obvious as in other plants.
Where honeysuckle differs most significantly from VM 1v is that the berries tend to be numerous and they don’t have the distinct smooth-ended calyx of VM 1v. While Lonicera deserves some consideration and sometimes has very substantial roots, I’m don’t know if VM 1v is close enough to be honeysuckle.
Loosestrife (Lysimachia) also has opposite leaves and berry-like fruits at the end of the vine-like stalks. The stems are often red and the fruits have a calyx that wraps around the bottom of the “berry”. Where the plant differs most from VM 1v is that the calyx has pointed rather than round tips and the end of each “berry” has a fairly long and distinctive spike. Also, like Atropa, the fruits grow not only from the end of the branches but also from the nodes and there are frequently many fruits in a cluster.
Fringed Loosestrife (Lysimachia ciliata) tempts us by having red leaves near the base and fruits at the ends of the branches. There is a Troy University herbarium specimen that has a single flower at the end of a long stem. The plant can be quite variable and some varieties have red edges to the leaves, some have reddish leaves and some have leaves that border on clasping. It’s tempting to think VM 1v might be Lysimachia ciliata, or one of its close relatives, but most of the leaves are petioled and the roots have fine tendrils rather the thick bootlike stump of the VM 1v. I found one variety with a rather clumpy root but it didn’t resemble VM 1v in other ways—the flowers were numerous and extended from many of the leaf nodes.
Perhaps the most intriguing possibility is a plant found in many parts of the world called St. John’s wort (Hypericum and Triadenum). St. John’s wort isn’t technically a vine, but it tends to lean as the branches grow and form round berry-like fruits in the fall. The fruits are often numerous but sometimes single. The leaves are opposite and sometimes appear to be clasping.
What is particularly interesting about Hypericum is that the leaves will sometimes alternate red and green, the stems are often red, and some species of St. John’s wort have leaves that are green on the topside and somewhat red on the underside. Oddly, very few botanical drawings record this aspect of the plant, most shows the leaves as medium-to-bright green, with little variation, and some neglect to show the ruddy color of the stems even in species where ruddy stems are frequent.
On many species of St. John’s wort, the fruit is a knob surrounded by bracts that are blunter than Solanum and other plants already mentioned. Sometimes these bracts are significantly rounded. Where the fruit differs from VM 1v is in having a little dark spike at the ends of the fruits (although not all Hypericum have this, some have a slight depression). Also, as the fruit ripens, the bracts tend to curve back away from the “berry” rather than wrapping around it.
The most perplexing difference between the St. John’s wort and Plant 1v is the roots. Hypericum roots can sometimes be quite woody and substantial, but nowhere near as thick and pawlike as those of VM 1v. Is the VM root indicative of a common name for this plant or a commentary on the fauna found in the plant’s habitat as is true of some medieval herbals, or is this an entirely different plant from those mentioned so far?
The ID is not definitive—these are only possibilities—yet despite the discrepancies from the VM plant, honeysuckle (with its burly roots) and St. John’s wort (with its leaf shapes, colors, and berry structures), should probably be kept in the queue.
Posted by J.K. Petersen
The Vessels in the “Kitchen Section”
When I first saw them, the vessels on the left-hand side of the plants in the VM “kitchen section” reminded me of ormolu (from French or moulu), a gilding process and design style common to France from about the Renaissance to the 19th century, and I wondered whether these were early examples leading up to the ornate ormolu that we know today.
Ormolu actually refers to the gilding process, but in the antique industry it has also become a broader term for vessels with ornate metal details added to ceramic, glass, and other materials, especially those in the French style. The Ormolu mercury-based gilding process was discontinued in the 19th century due to its toxic nature.
The VM vessels look very much like salt sellers, spice shakers, candlesticks, urns, wine jugs, lamp stands (oil lamps) and other metal or mixed-material accessories that might be seen at a nobleman’s feast. Some have open ends, others look like they may have lids. The one top-left on Folio 88r could be a candle-holder (among other things). The vessels are a bit narrow to be conventional ink stands (although a minority were, in fact, narrow) but ink stands of the time had similar tops/lids. You can see an example of a 19th century ink stand from southern France on Christie’s auction site. An Etsy seller has an example of a Parisian ormolu ink stand that mixes ceramics and ormolu metal details. The VM vessels are colored, perhaps to suit the tastes of the illustrator or perhaps because they are created of mixed materials.
The tall, slender VM vessels might be narrow for ink pots, but could function quite well as shakers or oil jars. In fact, today’s pepper mills are usually tall and narrow. I see very little resemblance to telescopes. Telescopes don’t typically have tripod-style feet or onion-dome lids, nor do they have as many thick-thin variations or embellishments along their length.
Ormolou was fabricated in many places in Europe, but is particularly associated with France, so I looked up the Book of Hours by Duc du Berry, because it was created at approximately the same time period as VM 408. I was curious to see if I could find examples of ormolu or early Renaissance forerunners similar to the Voynich vessels.
The Très Riches Heures, Book of Hours, was intended to record historical events and keep track of feast days and times for prayer (like an elaborate journal and religious daybook rolled into one). It is a magnificent set of illuminated miniatures commissioned in the early 1400s by prince Duke du Berry, son to John the Good. It took many decades and a long list of hands to complete the du Berry Book of Hours, but the original artists were from the Netherlands.
The Book of Hours Vessels
Folio 2r in the Book of Hours illustrates a New Year celebration with jousting in the background and feasting in the foreground. On the left side of the illustration is a collection of apparently gilded vessels associated with the feast. Note how similar in design they are to the VM vessels, especially the base of the wine decanter in the bottom left and the overall shape of the vessel surrounded by others in the top left. There is also a chalice on the table to the far right, partly obscured by a large boat-shaped serving vessel.
I’ve been of the opinion for quite some time, based on studying the Voynich Manuscript, that the VM author is a physician or midwife to a royal court. The author, whether man or woman, obviously was well positioned. He or she had an education, time, and access to writing materials, and a particular interest in the cycles of women’s lives (more about this obstetrical/gynecological evidence in other blogs). It’s intriguing to explore whether the VM author was present at this feast. If the VM author were a physician to the royal court, he might be prominently included among the guests.
Each region had its own customs and costumes in the 15th century. Some costumes were so specific, you could identify a person’s town of origin, but the picture above left shows one example of a physician’s outfit in the 15th century. Note the colors and style, almost like a contemporary Santa (saint) suit. Now look at the balding man in the red and white suit addressing Duke du Berry (who is seated in blue to the right). Is the man in red a cleric? Or perhaps a physician? Might it be the prince’s physician?
Left, a 15th century Italian pharmacist dressed in red and green. Right, Physicians in wide-sleeved, hooded capes, late 15th century (Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris).
Note also that the designs on the jar above the urine specimen container in the picture with the physician’s costume has patterns in it similar to the patterns in the “standing baskets” in the VM. This may be a coincidence, or a sign of cultural familiarity or similarity.
What a revelation it would be if it turned out that du Berry Folio 2r gave us an actual look at the Voynich author—a physician getting on in years desirous of recording his longtime knowledge of science and events of his time. Perhaps the women in the picture, standing behind the man in red, served as models (in the general sense) and were the subjects of scientific study for the women in the VM.
Posted by J. Petersen
Credits: 15th century physician’s costume by Warja Honegger-Lavater, 1962, Wikimedia Commons.
After many hours of looking at the Voynich plants, I believe that they are real plants and more accurate than many herbal illustrations of the early 15th century.
Some aspects are symbolic and some details are mythical (like the dog pulling out the mandrake), but even the symbolic elements follow a rational pattern (more on the plant symbolism later).
This section will explore each plant in detail with comments and examples. It will take time to upload the considerable amount of information on my hard drive and in my head, as there are more than 100 plants and my notes need to be put in a form that is comprehensible not just to me but to Web readers, as well.
Welcome to the Voynich Portal
Sometimes following a trail in the Voynich manuscript is like flying over uncharted territory, looking for a local landing strip. From a distance, it might look like a good spot to set down but when you get closer you discover it’s not what you thought it was and you have to pull back on the stick and try again.
Every aspect of the document plays this trick on you. At first, the text looks like it might be easy to decode. The same goes for identifying the plants, the zodiacs, the star wheels, the map, the apparent recipe section. “It can’t be that hard to figure this out,” has surely passed through the minds of many VM researchers, aficionados who then find themselves still perplexed and searching for basic answers five or even ten years later.
How I Was Sucked into the Matrix
I can’t remember exactly how I stumbled onto the Voynich Manuscript (Beinecke 408). I only remember it was around Christmas 2008 (addendum: after writing this, Iooked up the first file I downloaded related to the VMS and discovered it was spring 2007) that I was googling something unrelated and either came across a reference to herbs or to cryptography in general. Further searches for information on medicinal and culinary herbs and spices brought me to Edith Sherwood’s site with her plant IDs and theories about the origin of the VMS. Since I love puzzles, it didn’t take long to get hooked.
(Addendum, I devoted much time to studying the plants and text in 2007 and 2008 and then got very busy and reluctantly had to put it aside for while.)
I kept intending to study it but couldn’t find a moment free until somewhere around 2010, in my not-so-spare time, I created masses of scattered notes all over my hard drive. I truly didn’t have time to explore the Voynich but still, with five minutes here and five minutes there, managed to accumulate a surprising number of notes.
Such Good Intentions, So Little Time
I intended from the beginning to share my notes, especially those on the plants, with anyone who might be interested but, again, was short of time. Saving a note to yourself that encapsulates a myriad of thoughts, and expanding it out into a paragraph that others can comprehend are two different things and it wasn’t until 2013 that I finally set up a blog to share my observations with the Internet community.
Even with a place to upload the information, it was a daunting task to simply FIND my notes which were not confined to anything as sensible as a Voynich directory (or drive). I saved them wherever, whenever, assuming I would have time to consolidate them later.
That day has not yet come, but I have managed to upload a tiny portion of the notes in the spirit of getting started and if I win a lottery, then I will have the time to make the rest of it presentable (and comprehensible) as well.
In the meantime, I offer the Voynich Portal and hope it might elucidate or at least entertain those of you who love puzzles and mysteries as much as I.
J.K. Petersen