Vinecta
Vinecta a dyascoride vocatur epimedium supra in epimedium.
Apparatus:
Vinecta AC ef | Vineta B
{in} epimediũ AC | epi. B ef
Translation:
Vinecta is a synonym for epimedium according to Dyascorides. See the entry Epimedium above.
Commentary:
The Greek text, cf. 4, 19, ed. Wellmann (1906-14: II.184) ἐπιμήδιον /epimḗdion/, in the RV version, mentions as a synonym for ἐπιμήδιον … Ῥωμαῖοι υὐινδίκτα /epimḗdion … Rhōmaîoi ouindíkta/ - "Epimedion ... The Romans call it vindicta" [[1]]. Vindicta means acc. to Lewis & Short "the staff or rod with which a slave was touched in the ceremony of manumission, a liberating-rod, manumission-staff; (transf.) a means of asserting or defending, a vindication, protection, defence; vengeance, revenge, punishment". If vindicta is indeed the intended word then the naming motive for the plant is - acc. to Berendes (1902: 376) - its effect as an aphrodisiac. André (1985: 272), s.v. uindicta, is more cautious saying there is no explanation, but perhaps it may mean "baguette" {here: "stick, rod"}.
The word suffered some corruption in virtually every witness. In entry Epimedium (1) q.v. it appears as vinecta, uinea, vineta and victa. In the Munich codex of Dioscorides Longobardus vindicta is not mentioned , but in the critical apparatus further variants viecta and hunctam are listed, the last one is also the one in Dyascorides alphabeticus, i.e. Epumediũ ut latini hũctaʒ cf. Bodmer f 37v [[2]].
Botanical identification:
Although the plant is reasonably well described in entry Epimedium (1) by both Dioscorides as well as Pliny, its identification is not possible, and neither Berendes (1902) nor André (1985) attempt any identification.
For further information see Epimedium (1).
Wilf Gunther 23/03/2014
