Morten St George Theory

[Morten St. George]

I guess you're not familiar with the details of plants or of other plants that look similar to the "sunflower" so you just accept at face value a questionable ID.

I think I read somewhere that the VMS sunflower was first identified as a sunflower not by Tucker and Janick but by great botanical experts from the first half of the 20th century. No?

I also read that the sunflower is a native American plant unknown in Europe until Columbus brought it back so, even if the VMS drawings of the sunflower aren't perfect, I'd say those drawings were more likely made by someone who had seen a real sunflower than by someone who had never seen a real sunflower.

Real plants in the VMS are more likely to be depicted in the pharmaceutical section than on the single-plant pages. That's where you will find the jalapeno peppers that merit further study.