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Re: VMS -- Botany (f50v) Waratah

To: "steve ." <peony16@xxxxxxxxxxx>, voynich@xxxxxxxx, AFScott@xxxxxxx
Subject: Re: VMS -- Botany (f50v) Waratah
From: "Dana F. Scott" <dfscott@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Thu, 05 Jul 2001 14:18:27 -0700
Organization: Pacific Bell Internet Services
References: <F201WMozgYLowspDKic0000d07f@hotmail.com>
Hello Steve,

I will be glad to send you an updated listing of all the Botanical "identifications" that
have been suggested to date. The only online scan for f50v that I am aware of is a
thumbnail copy. Please understand that the identifications of plants that I have been
making are in the "best match" category based on the overall plant drawing in the VMS,
which includes comparisons to flower, stem, leaves, roots, tubers, rhizomes, and bulbs;
however, color is a bit of a problem at this point since the copyflo of the VMS that I
obtained from Beinecke is in black and white. Other members on the VMS discussion forum
have been helping with color identification for which I am truly grateful. It would be
great if we could get a full color quality copy of the VMS from Beinecke as has been
proposed in the past, but there are certain real world concerns and complications in
seeing that effort come to fruition. The scarlet red of Waratah we are told does not
appear in the VMS (the color blue is present) and therefore the "match" requires further
consideration; however, at this point I am pleased with the B/W "identification". Of
course, a "better" match could replace this observation in the future. I am not a
Botanist by training or by trade but did major in Biology at the U. of Hawaii, and thus
you find my interest in the Botanical drawings in the VMS. I have been attempting to
"identify" the drawings in the VMS since the beginning of the year and believe that I
have managed to "break ground" on the identification of the plant drawings in the VMS.
This is an arduous task and requires a great deal of time, effort, and expense on my
part, more dogged determination perhaps than scientific insight, though I would now say
that I have probably seen and learned more from the herbals, history, and pictures of
plants and the observations of real plants than most non-botanists will ever come across
or even wish to see. Eventually, I hope to put this information out on a web-site for
ease of reference; however, for now I think that I need to keep the momentum going on
trying to identify the plants while I still have the insight that I have gained over the
past several months fresh in my mind. If I slow down or give up now, I am concerned that
this whole process of plant identification may come to a screeching halt for me. This
effort will take quite a bit of time for one person to complete (other individuals are
certainly more than welcome to offer suggestions for possible matches) given the number
of plants to be identified, and there are other sections of the VMS that I wish to
explore in greater detail (pharmaceutical, cosmological, astrological). Helping to
decipher the text will no doubt be the greatest challenge of all, and yet I sense that
there is a glimmer of hope even with this most complicated of pursuits. I will send out a
copy of the plant "identifications" once I have updated the list.

http://www.fsbobiz.com/voynich/thumbs/f50vth.jpg

Regards,
Dana Scott

"steve ." wrote:

> dear dana,
>
> Fascinated by your waratah ID, although on looking through my VMS collection
> of jpgs I see I don't have this one. I don't suppose you know whether it is
> on the web anywhere? Or whether you have a scan of it you could send me? I
> was particularly fascinated because I was just writing something on Aleister
> Crowley's poem "The Waratah Blossoms", which he used as a metaphor for the
> "Scarlet Woman" and it occured to me that the folio from the Voynich MS
> would be an interesting illustration to use if I could get a high-res scan
> of it. Your post led to a tangential comment in what I was writing,
> concerning your potential ID. I agree, if you are right it could have
> "O'Neill sunflower hypothesis" dating consequences.
>
> I find your botany posts excellent, by the way, but have doubtless missed
> many. Do you have a complete collection of your identifications?
>
> all the best,
>
> Steve
>
> >From: "Dana F. Scott" <dfscott@xxxxxxxxxxx>
> >To: voynich@xxxxxxxx, AFScott@xxxxxxx
> >Subject: VMS -- Botany (f50v) Waratah
> >Date: Sat, 09 Jun 2001 23:49:03 -0700
> >
> >Telopea speciosissima, also known as Waratah in Australia, is a
> >wonderful match for the f50v botanical drawing in the VMS. I find myself
> >at the same time both delighted and somewhat stunned by this revelation.
> >The implications here may be considerable. This plant is indiginous to
> >New South Wales; however, from botanical history we learn that it was
> >first introduced in Europe by Sir James Smith in 1793. While it is
> >possible that Marco Polo may have gone to Australia, though this is
> >apparently not a verified historical fact, the Dutch navigator Plesart
> >did explore Western Australia in 1629. So, assuming that the match is
> >correct, unless a similar Genus/species of this plant could be found
> >elsewhere, such as in South Africa, it seems to me that there is a great
> >deal of fruit for thought here as it applies to the VMS.
> >
> >Photo:
> >http://capricornica.com/plants/tel_spec.htm
> >http://www.anbg.gov.au/images/photo_cd/630930713442/093.html
> >http://www.anbg.gov.au/images/photo_cd/813340821461/059.html
> >http://waratah.www.nsw.gov.au/waratah.gif
> >http://farrer.csu.edu.au/ASGAP/APOL21/mar01-9a.html
> >http://farrer.csu.edu.au/ASGAP/APOL21/mar01-9c.html
> >http://wildflowers.ozthunder.com/rnp4.jpg
> >http://www.feca.org.au/telopea.htm
> >http://farrer.csu.edu.au/ASGAP/APOL14/jun99-5d.html
> >http://www.anbg.gov.au/images/photo_cd/630930713442/091.html
> >http://www.anbg.gov.au/images/photo_cd/813340821461/058.html
> >http://www.ausflorapacific.com.au/gemwar.html
> >http://waratah.www.nsw.gov.au/waratah.html
> >http://www.anbg.gov.au/telopea-braidwood-brilliant/telopea-braidwood-brilliant4.html
> >
> >http://www.anbg.gov.au/telopea-braidwood-brilliant/telopea-braidwood-brilliant3.html
> >
> >http://www.anbg.gov.au/telopea-braidwood-brilliant/telopea-braidwood-brilliant1.html
> >
> >http://www.biologie.uni-ulm.de/systax/dendrologie/Teloptrun.htm
> >http://farrer.csu.edu.au/ASGAP/APOL17/mar00-4e.html
> >
> >Description:
> >http://www.anbg.gov.au/emblems/nsw.emblem.html
> >http://www.mountain-nursery.com.au/warainfo.htm
> >http://www.au.gardenweb.com/forums/load/oznative/msg0306370522348.html
> >http://farrer.csu.edu.au/ASGAP/APOL21/mar01-9.html
> >http://www.anbg.gov.au/telopea-braidwood-brilliant/telopea-braidwood-brilliant.html
> >
> >http://www.anbg.gov.au/acra/descriptions/acc403.html
> >http://www.anbg.gov.au/acra/descriptions/acc322.html
> >
> >Illustration:
> >http://www.mountain-nursery.com.au/images/telopea.htm
> >http://www.rareprintsgallery.com/Botanicals/Paxton/pax54.htm
> >http://www.museum-prints.com/english/start_eng/start_eng.htm?../detail3e/telopea.htm
> >
> >Stamp:
> >http://www.anbg.gov.au/stamps/stamp.459.html
> >http://www.anbg.gov.au/stamps/stamp.359.html
> >
> >Australian History:
> >http://www.aaa.com.au/hrh/aboriginal/hist1.shtml#Australia 1
> >
> >Marco Polo:
> >http://www.usnews.com/usnews/issue/000724/mysteries/marco.htm
> >http://www.tk421.net/essays/polo.shtml
> >
> >Regards,
> >Dana Scott
> >
>
> _________________________________________________________________________
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