Unknown plants and bathing nymphs... Chantilly MS 653

[Mauro]

I will say, however, that this shows a well-documented instance of describing and drawing unknown plants in 15th century Northern Italy, not present in any herbal tradition. Even if it's just two plants, it's two entirely new plants.

Perhaps this shows that such things were not as uncommon as one might think?

Could it be, that in some other Northern Italian mountain region, people actually DID discover many hitherto unknown plants?

'Unknown' is a bit of a weasel word here. Italy is rich in botanical diversity and in endemisms, but for the most part this means there are many plants which are almost, but not exactly, the same species which can be found anywhere: interesting to a modern mind but not much to a late medieval one I guess. Then of course there may have been local plants, or local cultures who used plants not used elsewhere and they may even have been drawn in some herbal, but I would not read too much into this.