The Voynich Botanical Plants

Folio 42v, European columbine, Culverwort or Granny's nightcap (Aquilegia vulgaris), is a species of columbine native to Europe. It has a fibrous root system. A tuft of large long dark green leaves grows at the base of the plant; higher up the stem they become smaller and are grouped in leaflets of three. The slender, erect branched flower stems end in drooping purple, sometimes white, flowers whose five petals end in a hornlike spur. Columbines are a member of the Ranunculaceae family and are therefore poisonous. The flower is sacred to Venus and it was believed that carrying a posy of the flowers would arouse the affections of a loved one.