Viola (odorata or tricolor)

[Jorge_Stolfi]

In more recent drawings, the images show that the tricolour has different types of leaves.

Yep. I pointed that out already in the 2004 conference.  You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. is definitely the pansy, heartsease, modern name Viola tricolor.

This discussion came from the theory that the scribe was supposed to draw Viola odorata, which is well-known as medicinal herb, but was tricked by the name and drew Viola tricolor instead.  

I still don't know whether Viola tricolor has ever been used as medicinal herb.  If not, that would be a point in favor of that name-confusion theory: it would explain why that non-medicinal herb got included into what is almost surely a catalog of medicinal herbs.

But I am also still waiting for evidence that the pansy was ever called "viola" before the botanists invented the classification into genera and species.  See above.  If not, that would negate that name-confusion theory...

All the best, --stolfi