Another example from the Dioscorides, You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. It shows a plant growing from a bulb, with little green leaves growing from the points where the large leaves attach to the stem. This is similar to VM You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. . In both cases, the leaves attach to the stem in a sheathing manner (I am just using words that will do until Bernd or someone else with more knowledge about proper terminology corrects them 
).
I think this shows two things:
* On the one hand, the VM drawings reveal awareness of botanical reality, getting details right about the way plants grow and/or connecting to other manuscript traditions.
* On the other hand, the VM seems to absolutely on purpose deviate from natural and/or artistic examples by adding weird nonsense to them, like this weird flower or whatever it is that's attached to those leaves.
This explains why there often are disagreements about the truthfulness of VM plants. Some will call them fantastic and otherworldly, while others will claim that they can rival the most naturalistic of medieval traditions. I think both are true at the same time, and we cannot say one without acknowledging the other.
).I think this shows two things:
* On the one hand, the VM drawings reveal awareness of botanical reality, getting details right about the way plants grow and/or connecting to other manuscript traditions.
* On the other hand, the VM seems to absolutely on purpose deviate from natural and/or artistic examples by adding weird nonsense to them, like this weird flower or whatever it is that's attached to those leaves.
This explains why there often are disagreements about the truthfulness of VM plants. Some will call them fantastic and otherworldly, while others will claim that they can rival the most naturalistic of medieval traditions. I think both are true at the same time, and we cannot say one without acknowledging the other.
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