The Voynich Ninja

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it's on quire 19, surrounded by a few other familiar looking plants/vegetables.

Yes, it looks like a carrot (You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view., You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.). But in botany, looks can be deceiving and in the VM, even more so. Not only are we looking at a medieval drawing of a plant and such drawings are subject to a lot of interpretation (just look at some of the other medieval herbals) but it is a plant drawing in the VM. Now, take into consideration that the carrot-like image on f102v2 is in the small plants section and we may find it necessary to question a plant identification further.

Before proceeding, I recommend discounting the coloring of the drawing. That is to say, don't rule out a possible plant identification based on color. Just because it was colored orange doesn't mean it was a carrot and medieval carrots were actually purple or red (click You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. and You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. and scroll to the carrots in each).

Leaf structure in the small plants section is also highly interpretive as are root structures. Some plants in the small plants section may also be depicting immature plants rather than full grown ones, possibly including this one.

Let's start with an obvious question: What other root vegetables and other plant roots look like the VM image? The glaringly obvious one is the parsnip (You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view., You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.). But it's not the only possibility. I wouldn't rule out salsify as another option (Tragopogon porrifolius You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. and You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view., Pseudopodospermum hispanicum You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. and You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.). Don't assume an edible purpose for inclusion in the small plants section. It may have been medicinal or a poison instead. Mandrakes come to mind (You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view., You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view., You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.).

If you search this site, I don't think you will find many, if any, identifications for this particular plant image, most likely because it is in the small plants section. But here is a thread that did a lot of work to try and identify plants in the large plants section: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.. There is also a more recent project called the Voynich Garden that is attempting to do the same but on a larger scale: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.. It is reasonable to assume there is a correlation between the plants in the large plants section and the ones in the small plants section and this thread covered possible matches between them in detail: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.. It is also likely that the text associated with each possible match may prove such matches and this thread covers that topic: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.. Finding a large plant match for this small plant on f102v2 will be key to moving forward with an identification. And finally, I heartily recommend that anyone who proposes a possible VM plant identification, whether it is a large plant or a small plant, cross-reference with the available online botanical resources, a detailed list with links of which I included in this thread:  You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.. It is also a good idea, although a highly subjective one, to compare the VM image to similar ones in contemporaneous illustrated/illuminated herbal manuscripts and incunabula. Many of these are digitized online and you will find links to them peppered throughout this site.

All that said, it could be a carrot. It just might take more research and documentation to prove it, convincingly if not irrefutably. And I hope you do that and succeed. Happy hunting.

Time should also be taken into account. Many vegetables are cultivated and look very different today.
For example, the classic orange carrot was bred by the Dutch in the 18th century.
Seen in this light, the picture could also be a radish.
On this site, assigning a plant is more of a lottery than a science.

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Could start by reading this article:


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Ironically, this author Janick is the same one of Tucker & Janick who believe the Voynich is from the New World.  Guess the world of historic botany is pretty small.

Also there is this You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.by Nick about carrots in the manuscript.

I think it can be a parsnip or any other root vegetable.

I think it's a strawberry. Why else would there be a carton of cream next to it?

@Michelle
You write ‘Guess the world of historical botany is pretty small.’
Here are some examples from a 15 year expedition from 1787-1803. Not that old, but 1300 plants in 13 volumes from Mexico and Central America.
The whole collection:

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Genève, Conservatoire et Jardin botaniques de la Ville de Genève

Direct link does not work

(27-04-2024, 05:27 PM)Aga Tentakulus Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.@Michelle
You write ‘Guess the world of historical botany is pretty small.’

Hi, Aga:

I meant the world of people who write about historic botany is small (because one of the few historic botanists l know is an author on a random publication about the history of carrots l found) - not that the actual plant choices in historic times were small.  Sorry this was unclear.

But thanks for the manuscript suggestion.

Michelle