I think it's less likely to be Silene.
There's another plant in the VMS that is quite a good match for Silene, which shows that the illustrator knew Silene and knew how to draw Silene (it might also be other things, there are a number of plants that look like Silene, but at least it demonstrates that the illustrator could properly recognize and copy Silene traits).
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The water lilies are both sedative and narcotic (with an-aphrodisiac propensities), so they also make one sleepy (probably not a strongly as opium, but I thought I'd mention it).
Papaver somniferum has two really distinctive traits that one doesn't see in the seedheads... the holes along the top of the capsule, under the rosette (this is where the seeds come out), and a knob at the base of the capsule. They're the kind of details that the VMS illustrator seems to like to include, although I suppose it could be deliberate that they were left out if it is poppy. I just can't think of any reason the leaves would be drawn as hastate/sagittate for a frondy plant though. The only connection I could think of would be to indicate that morphine is for soldiers with wounds. I suppose that's possible, but the vase-shape is not a good match for poppy either.
Poppy is very commonly found in the old herbals, but so are the water lilies.
There's another plant in the VMS that is quite a good match for Silene, which shows that the illustrator knew Silene and knew how to draw Silene (it might also be other things, there are a number of plants that look like Silene, but at least it demonstrates that the illustrator could properly recognize and copy Silene traits).
.
The water lilies are both sedative and narcotic (with an-aphrodisiac propensities), so they also make one sleepy (probably not a strongly as opium, but I thought I'd mention it).
Papaver somniferum has two really distinctive traits that one doesn't see in the seedheads... the holes along the top of the capsule, under the rosette (this is where the seeds come out), and a knob at the base of the capsule. They're the kind of details that the VMS illustrator seems to like to include, although I suppose it could be deliberate that they were left out if it is poppy. I just can't think of any reason the leaves would be drawn as hastate/sagittate for a frondy plant though. The only connection I could think of would be to indicate that morphine is for soldiers with wounds. I suppose that's possible, but the vase-shape is not a good match for poppy either.
Poppy is very commonly found in the old herbals, but so are the water lilies.