Koen, that's one of the plants I had difficulty identifying in a naturalistic sense. I have come back to it many times thinking that the unusually large amount of red (which is one of the more costly pigments in the Middle Ages) and the overall design of it must be a reference to... something.
I did wonder whether it might be Eryngium, but Eryngium does not have big red seedpods. So... my best guess so far and a suggestion I haven't seen anywhere else is an unusual Mediterranean plant called Paracaryum lithospermifolium. This, of course, assumes it was inspired by a real plant, which it might not be.
Possible ID (but very tentative)...
Paracaryum lithospermifolium has You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. with little white 'teeth' and very interesting You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. that are bright red with depressed centers and little points on the edges. The calyx has long hairs that might inspire the long fuzzy edges on the VMS drawing.
It's not a perfect match (and the seeds eventually turn from bright red to brown), but it has the same "feel" as the VMS drawing and is the kind of plant that inspires storytellers.
It is a rare species (I can't find any public domain photos of it) and I have never seen it in a medieval herbal but if you click the links for flowers and seedpods, you might see why it reminds me of the VMS drawing.
I did wonder whether it might be Eryngium, but Eryngium does not have big red seedpods. So... my best guess so far and a suggestion I haven't seen anywhere else is an unusual Mediterranean plant called Paracaryum lithospermifolium. This, of course, assumes it was inspired by a real plant, which it might not be.
Possible ID (but very tentative)...
Paracaryum lithospermifolium has You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. with little white 'teeth' and very interesting You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. that are bright red with depressed centers and little points on the edges. The calyx has long hairs that might inspire the long fuzzy edges on the VMS drawing.
It's not a perfect match (and the seeds eventually turn from bright red to brown), but it has the same "feel" as the VMS drawing and is the kind of plant that inspires storytellers.
It is a rare species (I can't find any public domain photos of it) and I have never seen it in a medieval herbal but if you click the links for flowers and seedpods, you might see why it reminds me of the VMS drawing.