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Re: VMS -- Botany (f51r) Henbane



Hi Dana,

Dioscorides classified plants as "as aromatic, culinary, and medicinal".

This is true: but (according to Nancy Siraisi) medieval versions of De Materia Medica were arranged *alphabetically*. She repeats this fact several times through her M&ERM book.


I wonder how the plants
in the VMS were classified (perhaps toxic, culinary, and medicinal)?

If the VMS' herbal section was arranged alphabetically, then perhaps we could - by assigning 15th Century names for the plants - make an educated guess as to the underlying language!!!!!!


Many herbals of the time - like the one you linked to recently at the Bodleian - commence each page with a list of names of the plant on that page in various languages: so this might be an excellent direction to take this now. :-)

Go for it Dana! :-)))

Cheers, .....Nick Pelling.....