[split] f16r

[-JKP-]

I had the Vitix bush growing in my garden for many years. The flower heads turn into a multitude of dark brown-reddish seeds and look just like shown in the Voynich. the leaves grow all the way up the branch into the flower heads. And Cannabis buds do not look like that. lol

Unfortunately the leaves aren't much help in identifying 16r. Both Vitex agnus-castus and Cannabis have leaves that are separate right up to where they join the stalk and the VMS leaves are fused before they join the stalk.

• Plant 16r has between 8 and 9 digits per leaf-group. The leaf margins are slightly jaggy.
  
• Agnus-castus has between 5 and 7 digits per leaf-group. Leaf margins are mostly smooth (slight ripple, but no serrations). There is one uncommon variation called V. agnus-castus pseudonegundo that has 5 digits and deeply toothed leaves.
  
• Cannabis has between 7 and 9 digits per leaf-group. Leaf margins are serrated.
  

So for number of digits and leaf margins, Cannabis is closer to 16r.

• Cannabis seeds are small and vary from reddish-brown to greenish-brown, sometimes they are speckled.
  
• Agnus-castus seeds are medium and are usually a dull brown or grayish brown. Not usually speckled. I notice a few vendors' pics show them as reddish brown. This is not their most common color, so I don't know if this is a natural color variation or if the vendors enhanced the pics to make them more appealing.
  

In terms of the spacing between the seed clumps:

• Cannabis seedheads are tight and clumpy.
  
• Agnus-castus seedheads are tiered (with small-to medium spaces between the clumps, depending on the species).
  
• The VMS seeds are tight and clumpy.
  

I still think the 16r drawing is closer to Cannabis than Agnus-castus, but as I said, Agnus-castus is #2 on my list. I haven't crossed it off.


Stachys byzantina has seedheads like plant 16r, tight and clumpy, with leaflets sticking out, but the leaves are completely wrong. They are elliptical, not star-shaped. It's on my list, but I am hesitant to mention it because of the leaves.