01-04-2019, 03:14 PM
It's a manuscript full of herbs. They comprise the majority of the folios. "Herbal" is easier to say than, "Manuscript with a lot of pictures of herbs".
Is it an herbal in the traditional sense? If most of the plants were included because they have medicinal value, yes, the sections with plants would be an herbal. If they are there for another reason, then it's still a book of herbs, but not the most common kind of medieval herbal.
If it were a book of plant husbandry, or culinary plants, it would still be an herbal. Technically trees are not herbs, but almost every medieval herb includes a few, so even traditional "herbals" are not quite herbals in the strictest sense.
Is it an herbal in the traditional sense? If most of the plants were included because they have medicinal value, yes, the sections with plants would be an herbal. If they are there for another reason, then it's still a book of herbs, but not the most common kind of medieval herbal.
If it were a book of plant husbandry, or culinary plants, it would still be an herbal. Technically trees are not herbs, but almost every medieval herb includes a few, so even traditional "herbals" are not quite herbals in the strictest sense.