The Voynich Botanical Plants

Folio 17r, Cupid’s dart (Catananche caerulea), is a member of the daisy family and native to the Mediterranean region. The plant grows in clumps. The stems are thin and wiry; the gray-green leaves are shaped like spears; and ray flowers are blue. The ancient Greeks and Romans used this plant as ingredient in a love potient, so it may have been the “date rape” drug of ancient times.