16-08-2019, 08:44 PM
JKP, I do not wish to challenge your vast knowledge about herbs in real life and in historical herbal manuscripts, but there is a certain amount of circular reasoning here.
As far as I am concerned, none of the herbs in the MS has been positively identified.
There are a few very good candidates, but something is wrong with all of them.
When you say:
I don't think that this is at all clear.
Looking at the Nymphoides, the identification is that it looks like one, and the confirmation that this identification is correct is again that it looks like one. That is a circular argument. There is no confirmation, really.
Apart from that, but at the same time as a logical consequence of what I just wrote, I fully agree that the identification of this drawing with ginger is very far from certain. The roots could pass as a schematic representation. (I don't put much weight on the colours). The flower is remarkably similar. But of course the leaves make no sense.
This is quite typical for most herb identifications in the Voynich MS.
As far as I am concerned, none of the herbs in the MS has been positively identified.
There are a few very good candidates, but something is wrong with all of them.
When you say:
Quote:The VMS illustrator drew accurate Nymphoides, accurate Ricinus, Tragopogon, Viola, and Phu. Why would he or she draw ginger so completely wrong, a plant that was familiar, a plant that most illustrators got right?
I don't think that this is at all clear.
Looking at the Nymphoides, the identification is that it looks like one, and the confirmation that this identification is correct is again that it looks like one. That is a circular argument. There is no confirmation, really.
Apart from that, but at the same time as a logical consequence of what I just wrote, I fully agree that the identification of this drawing with ginger is very far from certain. The roots could pass as a schematic representation. (I don't put much weight on the colours). The flower is remarkably similar. But of course the leaves make no sense.
This is quite typical for most herb identifications in the Voynich MS.