VMS -- Botany (f92v?)

["Dana F. Scott" <dfscott@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

The plant I refer to here (f92v?) is the middle one of three botanical
plants on the same fold out page. It comes after a botanical drawing
labeled with the number 90 in the upper right corner and a folio to its
right with the number 93, also in the upper right hand corner. It has
roots that resemble the body of a lion or panther (large cat). The
leaves look like spear heads, daggars, or perhaps swords. The three
flowers resembles 3 crosses. Symbolically, the plant appears to combine
a reference to Christianity (three flower trinity?), soldiers or knights
(leaves; may also be a reference to spirit), and the lion's body may be
a regal reference to royalty. This is of course all speculation. There
are actually quite a number of flowers that have only 4 petals. So far
the closest resemblance that I am able to find to the flowers drawn in
the VMS are for Eruca vesicaria, subspecies sativa. This is a well known
Cruciferae herb found in the Mediterranean and is a member of the
mustard family of plants. It is referred to by many names:
Garden-rocket, Rocket salad, Roka, Roquette, Rugula, Arugula, Tira,
Brassica eruca, and Brassica erucoides.

Eruca vesicaria, subspecies sativa:
http://www.wa.gov/agr/weedboard/weed_info/gardenrocket.html
http://uvalde.tamu.edu/herbarium/erve.htm
http://www.soupsong.com/farugula.html
http://www.decani.yunet.com/doctrine.html
http://bodd.cf.ac.uk/BotDermFolder/BotDermC/CRUC.html
http://www.pmf.ukim.edu.mk/bbogdanov/glucosinolates/webB1.htm

The following are not the same flower but  interesting similar matches:
http://www.botany.hawaii.edu/faculty/carr/images/lep_bid_cu.jpg
http://www.botany.hawaii.edu/faculty/carr/images/lep_bid_cu_fl.jpg
http://www.csdl.tamu.edu/FLORA/schoepke/bra_na_1.jpg

Crucifixes:
http://www.decani.yunet.com/doctrine.html
http://www.aaacousa.com/crucwitbyzst.html
http://www.crosses.org/crosses/cruz%20129.jpg

British Crown Jewels:
http://www.royal.gov.uk/images2/faq/cjewels.htm
http://www.royal.gov.uk/faq/jewels.htm

Knights Templar: (reference here to the Knights Templar is pure
conjecture on my part and may have no bearing in fact to what was
intended by the author of the VMS)
http://www.crystalinks.com/templars.html
http://www.templarhistory.com/who.html
http://www.templarhistory.com/richard.html
http://www.xyz.org/templars/
http://www.thecyberfarm.com/templars/templarhome.htm

Regards,
Dana Scott

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