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[Koen G]

I agree that one possibility for the VM plants collection is some thought of a return to paradise when the New Earth is established at the end of times. An undoing of the fall from grace, in a way. 

We see this approach to the End of Times in the Ghent Altarpiece, made in the same period as the VM. This shows that additional explanation is needed though: the plants in the Ghent Altarpiece are lifelike and recognizable, not weird at all. Why would the VM put a bunch of unusual plants in Paradise - be it before or after the fall? Is there any tradition describing or naming the plants of paradise, and are those different from the plants we know?