(03-04-2016, 02:53 PM)MarcoP wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.Hi Ellie,
...460 ca).
Attached on the right is another plant from a different copy of that herbal (You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.) dating to 1475 ca. It also has similar roots. The plant is here called Capero (Italian for "capers") but it does not look like capers.
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You're right, it doesn't resemble anything that's called capers.
It does resemble one of the varieties of Acorus that have long narrow basal leaves and long knobby zig-zaggy rhizomes. It's a wetland plant similar to iris, but with narrower, fuzzier flowers. Acoruscium is also possible.
Most herbals have some version of Acorus, but not always the same one. Acorus plants don't all have the big fleur-de-lis style flowers—some are more plain and fuzzy.
Edit-Addition: I just remembered that some herbals illustrate Acorus in the fruiting stage and the example you posted above does look like the fruiting version of Acorus in some of the other herbals.