Edith Sherwood Ph.D. and Erica Sherwood

The Voynich Botanical Plants

Folio 94vright Back to Plant List
folio 94vright

Folio 94v right, Ribwort, Plantain, or Kemps (Plantago lanceolata), is a perennial European herb with long lance-shaped basal leaves that have 3-5 strong parallel veins. The flower stalks are often more than 2 feet long, terminating in blunt cylindrical, spikes. During mediaeval times children used these flower spikes to play a game called kemps. The game involved striking one stalk head against another until a stalk broke. Kemps (cempa) was the Anglo-Saxon word for soldier. Ribwort is used in tisanes and other beverages.