Page f9v

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Identification

  Title: "Viola tricolor"
  Page: f9v = BB (Rene) = p018 (Stolfi)
  Folio: f9
  Panels: f9v
  Bifolio: bB1 = f9+f16
  Quire: B (Rene) = II (Beinecke)

Attributes

  Language: A (Currier)
  Hand: 1 (Currier)
  Subsets: H (Rene), hea (Stolfi)
  Subject: herbal
  Plant: 17 (Petersen; misnumbered 15 on his page 1)
  Colors: blue,green (Reeds), blue(top_left_3_leaves,right_2),yellow(other_leaves) (Rene)
  Plant: 17 (Petersen)

Description

  One plant, flush against the right and bottom edges, reaching
  almost to the top.

    Root: a bundle of thin wires. Dark overpaint?
    Stem: one straight. Light color.
    Branches: two symmetrical pairs, oblique.
    Leaves: the four lower ones are medium width, lance-shaped,
      with smooth edges; the others have the same outline but
      are deeply cut into five narrow points.  Dark color.
      Stalk: short, mostly missing.
    Flowers: five, at the tips of stem and branches.
      Stalk: medium length, thin. Chalyx: flat or everted, with short
      triangular sepals, partly hidden by corolla.  Petals: five rounded
      petals, a large one on top, the others like "arms and legs". Core:
      very small. Medium and dark colors.

  Two paragraphs (with 3.7 and 7.7 lines) at the top,
  left-justified. The first one is right-justified; the second one
  follows the plant's profile on the right. Both are interrupted in
  several places by the flowers and leaves.

Comments

  Petersen identifies this plant, with high confidence, as "Viola
  trinitalis".  I coudn't find such species, but "herba trinitatis" is
  the herbalists' name for Viola tricolor (heartsease,wild pansy) [1,23].

  Indeed, comparing f9v with a drawing by Carl Lindman [1], we see
  an almost perfect match --- including the roots, and the two types
  of leaves.

  Dennis Mardle [10 Oct 1998] observes that the details match also
  Viola arvensis (field pansy), which hybridises with V. tricolor
  and is very similar in shape, including especially the dimorphic
  leaves [1,4].

  The colors may help resolve this issue. The flowers of Viola
  tricolor are usually purple and white with yellow core; Lindman's
  drawing shows V. arvensis as white (or light blue?) with yellow
  core. Jim Reeds color list [03 Mar 1998] reports some blue on this
  page, to be confirmed.

  In either case, there is one odd detail: the flowers in f9v are
  upside-down.  Also the two bottom flowers are somewhat differen.

  Viola tricolor was used internally to treat epilepsy, asthma and
  bronchitis (whole plant), as an emetic and purgative (seeds) and as
  a heart tonic (flowers). Externally it was used to treat skin
  diseases [2].  The flowers are reported to be edible.

References

  [1] Carl Axel Magnus Lindman
  Bilder ur Nordens Flora
  227. A. Styvmorsviol, Viola tricolor L.; B. Åkerviol, Viola arvensis Murr.
  http://www.lysator.liu.se/runeberg/nordflor/
  http://www.lysator.liu.se/runeberg/nordflor/227.html 

  [2] Mrs. M. Grieve, F.R.H.S.
  A Modern Herbal
  Viola tricolor - Heartsease
  http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/mgmh.html
  http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/h/hearts10.html

  [3] ECNC DATABASE: SAXIFRAGA European Flora Slides
  Viola tricolor ssp. tricolor 
  http://www.ecnc.nl/doc/ecnc/saxifrag/euroflor.html
  http://www.ecnc.nl/gif/viotritr.gif

  [4] ECNC DATABASE: SAXIFRAGA European Flora Slides
  Viola Arvensis Murr.
  http://www.ecnc.nl/doc/ecnc/saxifrag/euroflor.html
  http://www.ecnc.nl/gif/vioarv.gif

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