flat-top / hollow roots

[MarcoP]

I don't think that example from the alchemical herbal is really a "flat top root" - more like a "hollow root" (which we can find in the VMS as well).

Thank you, Sam. I think I understand what you mean: the Florence ms illustration is ambiguous and it could also be read similarly to Voynich You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.. I suspect that the "flat-top" and "hollow" roots are two similar attempts to render the three-dimensional volume of the roots. In the Voynich ms they appear as two distinct types of roots.

In the case of the Florence ms, what makes me prefer the flat-top interpretation is that the central stem does not go down to the hypothetical rim of the hollow root, so giving the impression of sticking out of a flat top. The ambiguity derives from the shading that suggests that the root is hollow (while Voynich flat tops are white, with no shading).

I will ask the moderators if they can rename the thread to include "hollow roots".