#
# Identification:
#
#   * Title: "Petersen's cornflower"
#   * Page: f2r = AC (Rene) = p003 (Stolfi)
#   * Folio: f2
#   * Panels: f2r
#   * Bifolio: bA2 = f2+f7
#   * Quire: A (Rene) = I (Beinecke)
#
# Attributes:
#
#   * Language: A (Currier)
#   * Hand: 1 (Currier)
#   * Subsets: H (Rene), hea (Stolfi)
#   * Subject: herbal
#   * Colors: green,red (Reeds), red_dots (Rene)
#   * Plant: 2 (Petersen)
#
# Description:
#
#   One plant centered on page.
#
#     * Root: left-right symmetrical, planar, looking sort of like 
#       headless stick man with outstretched arms and gripping hands.
#       Overpainted with dark color.
#     * Stem: short and thin.
#     * Branches: two main ones, almost upright, slightly bent.
#       Irregular thickness, awkward shape (cf. top right leaf).
#       Light-clored with a dark vein grossly painted along the middle.
#     * Leaves: Dark overpaint, shaped like a triangular fan with five
#       lanceolated fingers. Stalk: medium length, looks like a branch.
#     * Flowers: three, on tip of main branch.
#       Stalk: longish, looks like a branch.  Chalyx: an oblong oval
#       sweelling at end of stalk, partial dark overpaint.  Petals: many,
#       narrow and long; the flower looks like a shaving brush.  Core:
#       hidden by petals.
#
#   The page contains two paragraphs (unit µ{P}), with 6.4 and 5.4
#   lines, both of them left- and right-justified: one at the top,
#   slightly narrower, interrupted by three flowers; and one near the
#   bottom, interrupted by two branches.
#
#   There is a label in the right margin (unit µ{L}), at mid-height,
#   squeezed between the leaf and the vellum edge. The letters are
#   about half-size, but otherwise look like normal Voynichese.
#
# Comments:
#
#   The root looks rather strange, the stems and leaves are 
#   somewhat awkward, but the flowers look normal.
#
#   Petersen tentative identification is "cyanus segetum, cornflower
#   (caeruleus) (cf 153)". That must be ¶{Centaurea:cyanus}
#   (cornflower, fiodaliso, bluet, kornblume). The flower shape and
#   branching pattern seem to match fairly well; however, those
#   features are not very specific. The color seems to be wrong,
#   though (f2r is red, cornflowers are intense blue). Also, the
#   leaves of ¶{Centaurea:cyanus} are long and thin, with smooth edges
#   or a few very shallow teeth, attached directly to the stem; quite
#   unlike those of f2r.
#
#   Infusions of ¶{Centaurea:cyanus} were once used as a febrifugue 
#   (whole plant) and eye wash (flowers only).
#
# References:
#
# Last edited on 1999-04-15 04:02:42 by stolfi