1/24/2026-Page posted

Interpretation of Plant Colors and Structural Details

Purpose of This Analysis

The plant illustrations in the Voynich Manuscript exhibit non-random coloration, exaggerated morphology, and selective anatomical emphasis. This project treats these features as intentional informational layers, not decorative art.

This page documents how plant colors and visual details are analyzed, what is observed, and what is inferred, under the Lost Knowledge Files methodology.

Observed Characteristics (Non-Interpretive)

Across the manuscript, plant illustrations consistently show:

  • Limited but deliberate color palettes (greens, reds, blues, yellows, browns)

  • Color separation between roots, stems, leaves, and flowers

  • Exaggerated or stylized anatomy (bulbous roots, oversized leaves, segmented stems)

  • Repetition of similar color–structure pairings across different folios

  • Inconsistencies with naturalistic botanical illustration norms

These features are treated as data, not assumptions.

Core Hypothesis

Plant illustrations function as encoded visual descriptors, conveying information about:

  • material state

  • preparation phase

  • usable plant component

  • interaction with processes described in the text

Color and structure are interpreted as functional markers, not literal botanical realism.

Color Interpretation Framework

Green

Observed use:

  • Leaves, stems, and above-ground structures

  • Often paired with branching or growth emphasis

Interpretation:

  • Living or fresh material

  • Active biological state

  • Vegetative or aerial components

Functional implication:

  • Ingredients used fresh

  • Growth-stage relevance

  • Non-processed material

Red

Observed use:

  • Roots, internal structures, or isolated sections

  • Often localized rather than widespread

Interpretation:

  • Activated or transformed state

  • Heat-affected, fermented, or chemically altered material

  • Potent or reactive components

Functional implication:

  • Requires processing

  • Indicates intensity, danger, or efficacy

  • Often associated with later procedural stages

Blue

Observed use:

  • Flowers, vessels, droplets, or surrounding elements

  • Appears sparingly and deliberately

Interpretation:

  • Liquid association

  • Extraction medium (water, alcohol, decoction)

  • Volatile or distillable component

Functional implication:

  • Infusion, solution, or solvent use

  • Ties to aqueous or vapor-based processes

Yellow / Gold

Observed use:

  • Seeds, nodules, pollen-like elements, or highlighted regions

Interpretation:

  • Concentration or refinement

  • Final product or high-value component

  • Stabilized or completed form

Functional implication:

  • Endpoint of a process

  • Dosage or yield indicator

Brown / Black

Observed use:

  • Roots, dead matter, soil contact areas

Interpretation:

  • Fixed or spent material

  • Residual substrate

  • Base matter no longer active

Functional implication:

  • Discarded matter

  • Structural or grounding component

  • Post-extraction remains

Structural Detail Interpretation

Roots

Observed:

  • Frequently exaggerated, segmented, or emphasized

Interpretation:

  • Foundational material

  • Primary active ingredient

  • Source substance

Roots often correspond to early or base-stage processes.

Stems

Observed:

  • Connecting elements, sometimes segmented or jointed

Interpretation:

  • Carrier or transition structure

  • Process pathway

  • Transport or linkage role

Stems frequently map to procedural flow, not ingredients.

Leaves

Observed:

  • Repetition, symmetry, or exaggerated size

Interpretation:

  • Active surface area

  • Absorption or exposure

  • Modifier rather than base

Leaves often imply interaction rather than substance.

Flowers / Fruit / Seed Structures

Observed:

  • Prominently stylized

  • Often isolated or highlighted

Interpretation:

  • Output or product

  • Concentrated result

  • Purpose of the recipe or process

These elements frequently correlate with end-stage or goal markers.

Non-Botanical Accuracy as a Feature

Many illustrated plants do not correspond cleanly to real-world species. This is treated as intentional.

The working assumption is that illustrations represent:

  • functional plant families

  • process-relevant traits

  • symbolic composites

Rather than literal taxonomic accuracy.

This allows multiple real-world plants to map to a single illustrated form when they share procedural roles.

Relationship to Textual Analysis

Visual analysis is never used in isolation.

Plant colors and structures are evaluated only in conjunction with:

  • token roles

  • procedural grammar

  • sequence logic

  • cross-folio repetition

Visual interpretation must support textual structure—not override it.

Confidence and Limitations

All color and structural interpretations are:

  • probabilistic, not absolute

  • subject to revision

  • marked as inferred, not observed

Cases where color data conflicts with text-derived structure are flagged rather than forced into alignment.

Summary

Within the Lost Knowledge Files framework, plant illustrations act as compressed visual metadata.
Color and form provide contextual constraints, helping to define:

  • material state

  • process stage

  • functional role

This layered approach allows the manuscript to encode procedural knowledge using both text and image, reducing ambiguity while conserving space.

Hand-drawn illustration of a plant with green and red leaves, showing roots at the bottom.
Historical botanical illustrations of two plants with handwritten notes, featuring a small tree on the left with green and brown leaves and a larger plant on the right with green leaves and root details.