f18v...Dioscorides...something about those leaves

[Bernd]

misinterpreted source imagery.

This is apparently already the case in several images in the otherwise very well drawn Dioscorides, so if the VM source was a bad copy of a Dioscorides and badly copied it, adding yet another layer of misinterpretation, we should not be surprised to be confronted with very odd plants. I wonder if the VM stem loops are simply misinterpretations of crossing stems in the original. Are there unnatural stem-loops in other herbals? I haven't seen one so far, only twisted or crossed stems.

   

What I haven't found a source for are the VM 'daisies' and also the bent tube flowers like f24r.

One important step would be to compare plants depicted in several herbals to look for differences and similarities. As many plants are not clearly labeled, that's not an easy task but would help a lot.