[split] Voynich-like plants in Firenze Riccardiana Ricc. 2174

[Koen G]

Possibly another misunderstanding of a shaded source image similar to the one from Ricc. 2174 (which curiously lacks sepals).

I think misunderstanding of an (awkwardly?) shaded source is a good option here. Also note how the flower of arugula has a prominent line going through the middle, which stops before the ends of the petals. This, plus perhaps some rendition of veining, might have given the exemplar a more three-dimensional appearance than intended. Also, the Voynich artist uses strong lines to outline the square or diamond shape at the ends. To me, these always looked like big metal nails driven into a central point.

The missing calyx from Ricc. 2174 could be explained by the fact that the lower arm of the cross is positioned in a way to obscure it. It looks to me like the idea of crosses was important to this artist (perhaps due to some vernacular name), and he drew them standing up like that.

For a Voynich calyx, that of f90v1 is particularly elongated. This again matches up well with arugula. In the real plant, the petals are mostly visible from the side, and you see two or three depending on the rotation of the flower.