Re: Dana's Botany

["John Grove" <John@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Actually, I was hoping to hear you say something like "All the plants in
Group one are European" and "all the others are foreign to Europe" or
something like that.... Sort of like Monty Python's answer to "What is the
air speed velocity of an unladened swallow?"

The list divisions were based solely on the possible contextual clues of
Currier's A & B languages - but the result of this exercise may just be
placing a little bias into the botanical identifications for the future.

John.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Dana Scott" <dfscott@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: "John Grove" <John@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: "VMS List" <voynich@xxxxxxxx>; <AFScott@xxxxxxx>
Sent: Sunday, January 27, 2002 3:04 PM
Subject: Re: Dana's Botany


> Hello John,
>
>    Thank you for the two botanical lists that you put together here.
Perhaps it
> is time to start categorizing the plants as you suggest. A number of
different
> possibilities come to mind: monocotyledon, dicotyledon, medicinal (broken
out
> into subcategories based on treatment application), poisonous, cosmetic,
> astrological, cosmological, sun plants, moon plants, world
regions/climates,
> culinary, botanical classification by Family, etc. I should probably also
grade
> the identifications (5 star rating) by level of confidence that the
correct
> identification has been made, matching correctly on flowers, leaves,
stems,
> roots, tubers, fruit, color (though I not convinced that the original
author of
> the VMS actually colored the plants). There is at least one indication
that the
> work done on the VMS may not have been completed (not all of the botanical
> sprigs/snipets are labeled). I think for now that I would like to continue
work
> on identifying the botanical entries and I may start to
classify/categorize the
> plants which I can report on later.
>
> Regards,
> Dana Scott
>
> John Grove wrote:
>
> > Good day everyone,
> >
> >     I'm curious if Dana's identifications divided into the two groups
below
> > could provide two categories...  Do all the items in each group have
> > something in common within their group, but differ from the second group
> > consistently(from a botanical standpoint)?
> >
> > First Group
> > f01v - Atropa Belladonna
> > f02r - Yellow Centaurea/Bachelor's Button
> > f02v - Nymphoides
> > f04v - Bluebell of Scotland
> > f05v - Wild Strawberry/Paris(Trilliaceae)
> > f06r - Philodendron
> > f06v - Wooly Thistle
> > f07v - Pulmonaria/Polygonum/Persicaria
> > f08r - Tussilago farfara
> > f09r - Botrychium multifidum
> > f11r - Parsley
> > f12v - Spiral Ginger
> > f13r - Geranium
> > f13v - Fuchsia
> > f15r - Orchid Cactus
> > f16r - Rumex crispus
> > f17v - Wild Buckwheat
> > f21r - Rupturewort
> > f24r - Silene/Campion
> > f25r - Mint
> > f27v - French Marigold
> > f30v - Meadowseet
> > f32r - Lantana camara
> > f37v - Kalanchoe
> > f38v - Sempervivum
> > f42r - Rumex acetosa
> > f47r - Alchemilla vulgaris
> > f47v - Arnica montana
> > f51r - Henbane
> > f54v - Bittersweet
> > f87v - Senecio/Kleinia
> > f90r - Rutabaga
> > f93r - Protea/Helianthus
> > f96v - Chenpodium
> >
> > Second Group
> >
> > f31v - Fernleaf Yarrow
> > f33v - Pulicaria Dysenterica
> > f34r - Astrantia major
> > f34v - Tree of Life(or)Prunus
> > f40v - Epiphyllum
> > f46v - Feverfew
> > f50r - Kalanchoe
> > f55v - Veltheimia Bracteata
> > f57r - Golden Flowered Henbane
> > f94r - Botrychium lunaria
> > f95r - Berberis
> >
> > John Grove.
>
>