- IDENTIFICATION OF PHYTOMORPHS IN THE VOYNICH CODEX 41
S. Malvaceae
- Fol. 102r #11.Chiranthodendron pentadactylon(Fig. 1.38). Phyto-
morph #11 (Fig. 1.38a) is very curious, looking more like a very dark,
blue-black flag than a possible plant part. However, this is often what
the five-parted stamens ofChiranthodendron pentadactylonLarreat.
(C. platanoidesBonpl.), the hand flower, look like when pressed and
dried. When fresh, the stamens are a brilliant vermillion (Fig. 1.38b) but
they turn blue-black when improperly dried and/or aged (Fig. 1.38c)
and the five-parted, hand-like stamens can assume a flag-like figure
when pressed. This species typically grows in wet areas in the moun-
tains of Oaxaca and Guatemala but is widely planted in the Valley
of Mexico (Standley 1920–1926). This is calledmacpalxochi quahuitl
in Hernandez et al. (1651:383, 459). Additional Nahuatl names are ́
mapasuchil, mapilxochitl ́ ,andteyacua(D ́ıaz 1976);mapasuchil ́ is
derived from the Nahuatlmacpal-xochitl, “hand flower” (Standley
1920–1926).
(a)(b)(c)Fig. 1.38. Chiranthodendron pentadactylon: (a) fol. 102r #11; (b) five-parted stamens of
C. pentadactylon(Courtesy of Jan Conayne); (c) dried shoot ofC. pentadactylonshowing
leaves and flower with protruding stamens (Courtesy of Jose Luis Villase ́ nor R ̃ ́ıos).