11-01-2019, 12:43 PM
I don't know if there is such thing as a "regular" lily. Water lilies have many different kinds of flowers—single row, multiple rows; rounded petals, pointed petals; smooth petals, fringed petals.
Some herbals had accurate drawings, some didn't. The ones that look like combination drawings might not be combinations at all, they might just be inaccurate drawings. It's important to go through all the drawings to see whether they were trying to be accurate.
The VMS lily doesn't look like a combination drawing. It looks like an accurate drawing of one of the Menyanthaceae, especially Nymphoides. Everything matches (petals, pistil, leaf, rhizome, rhizome details). It's a common widespread lily. The only reason people don't notice it as much as the big fancy water lilies is because it is small and not as showy.
Some herbals had accurate drawings, some didn't. The ones that look like combination drawings might not be combinations at all, they might just be inaccurate drawings. It's important to go through all the drawings to see whether they were trying to be accurate.
The VMS lily doesn't look like a combination drawing. It looks like an accurate drawing of one of the Menyanthaceae, especially Nymphoides. Everything matches (petals, pistil, leaf, rhizome, rhizome details). It's a common widespread lily. The only reason people don't notice it as much as the big fancy water lilies is because it is small and not as showy.