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An inference of the species of the plant on f3r

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• An inference of the species of the plant on f3r

• An inference of the species of the plant on f3r

  JonathanZhang0813 > 14-11-2025, 02:49 PM

  Hi! My name is Jonathan Zhang, and I come from Shanghai, China. I was born on August 13, 2010 (yes, I'm just fifteen years old). I'm very interested in the Voynich Manuscript.
  
  
  
  In discussion of the plant that appeared on page f3r, I've got an inference (or theory) of its species. It might have been the Sempervivum.
  
     
  
     
  
  
  Sempervivum is a genus within the family Crassulaceae.
  
  
  
  The most typical form of Sempervivum is a ground-hugging, flower-like rosette. Although it is short, when it blooms, the plant sends up a single, upright, unbranched flower stalk from the center of the rosette.
  
  Its leaves are arranged in a tight spiral, layered upon each other, forming a very regular shape that looks like a pagoda or a rose.
  
  
  
  Many Sempervivum varieties have leaf tips or margins adorned with white, cobweb-like "threads" or cartilaginous edges. A notable example is Sempervivum arachnoideum (Cobweb Houseleek), whose leaf tips produce white, silk-like hairs that cover the rosette like a spider's web, giving it a white-edged appearance.
  
  The hairs, glandular dots, or color variations on the leaves can, in specific varieties and under certain conditions, create a texture similar to "spots."
  
  
  
  Sempervivums' color changes with the seasons, light exposure, and temperature variations. In environments with ample sunlight and significant temperature differences (especially in autumn and winter), the leaves can turn from green to bright red, purple, or reddish-brown. 
  
  
  
  As alpine succulents, they possess short, dense fibrous root systems, an adaptation to shallow soils like rock crevices.
  
  
  
  Sempervivum species are native to mountainous regions of Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East.
  
  
  
  The Roman scholar Pliny the Elder recorded its uses in his Natural History. In medieval Europe, the plant was believed to counteract poison and treat earaches, insect bites, and skin problems. Its sap was sometimes used as an anti-inflammatory agent.
  
  And by the way, I also noticed an interesting fact. The word "Sempervivum" can be separated into two Latin words—"Semper" (which means "forever") and "vivum" (which means "life").  connecting together, which means "immortality."
  
  Actually, the Sempervivum does not look like the plant displayed on page f3r…… The leaves of the plant displayed on You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. are growing opposite or whorled. The leaves of Sempervivum grow rosulate or fascicled. 
  
  So there is a closer "guess" concerning the leaf patterns. It might be the Sedum Rupestre. 
  
     

• RE: An inference of the species of the plant on f3r

  Jorge_Stolfi > 14-11-2025, 03:54 PM

  (14-11-2025, 02:49 PM)JonathanZhang0813 Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.In discussion of the plant that appeared on page f3r, I've got an inference (or theory) of its species. It might have been the Sempervivum.

  
  Hi! Welcome!
  
  But the first thing you must know when studying the VMS plant drawings is that the colors were almost certainly applied much after the manuscript was written, quite probably by someone who did not understand the text and did not recognize the plants.  Thus, one should ignore the colors when trying to identify the plants.
  
  One should also be aware that many of the drawings have unnatural details, like the stem with a loop of f5v, the "telescoping" root of f3v, and the "square potatoes" of f53r.  So it is quite possible that the drawings are partly or wholly imaginary.
  
  And one must be aware that the same plant is sometimes drawn twice: once in the Herbal section and once in the Pharma section.  For example, the plant of You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. is also seen at the bottom right corner of f102r1.  While those are clearly the same plant (and probably copied from the same source), there are crucial differences in the details -- like the length of leaf stalks, the shape of the base of the leaves, and the shape of the root "lobes" and "tendrils".  Those differences show that the details of the drawings may be incorrect; and these errors by the Scribe can easily lead one to either reject the correct match or pick the wrong one.
  
  All the best, --stolfi

• RE: An inference of the species of the plant on f3r

  Mauro > 14-11-2025, 05:58 PM

  (14-11-2025, 02:49 PM)JonathanZhang0813 Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.And by the way, I also noticed an interesting fact. The word "Sempervivum" can be separated into two Latin words—"Semper" (which means "forever") and "vivum" (which means "life").  connecting together, which means "immortality."

  
  It actually does not mean 'immortality', rather 'immortal' ('always alive'). The plant has been called that way because it survives harsh winter conditions and desiccation.
  
  I have seen lots of Sempervivum and Sedum, they are quite common where I live, with many different species, and I can assure you they do not look like the plant of You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. at all.

• RE: An inference of the species of the plant on f3r

  JonathanZhang0813 > Yesterday, 12:47 PM

  (14-11-2025, 03:54 PM)Jorge_Stolfi Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.

  (14-11-2025, 02:49 PM)JonathanZhang0813 Wrote: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view.In discussion of the plant that appeared on page f3r, I've got an inference (or theory) of its species. It might have been the Sempervivum.

  
  Hi! Welcome!
  
  But the first thing you must know when studying the VMS plant drawings is that the colors were almost certainly applied much after the manuscript was written, quite probably by someone who did not understand the text and did not recognize the plants.  Thus, one should ignore the colors when trying to identify the plants.
  
  One should also be aware that many of the drawings have unnatural details, like the stem with a loop of f5v, the "telescoping" root of f3v, and the "square potatoes" of f53r.  So it is quite possible that the drawings are partly or wholly imaginary.
  
  And one must be aware that the same plant is sometimes drawn twice: once in the Herbal section and once in the Pharma section.  For example, the plant of You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login to view. is also seen at the bottom right corner of f102r1.  While those are clearly the same plant (and probably copied from the same source), there are crucial differences in the details -- like the length of leaf stalks, the shape of the base of the leaves, and the shape of the root "lobes" and "tendrils".  Those differences show that the details of the drawings may be incorrect; and these errors by the Scribe can easily lead one to either reject the correct match or pick the wrong one.
  
  All the best, --stolfi

  
  Thank you! I should have considered this more. I've never thought of this before.
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