acuilloxochitl (FCbk11f192r-v)

This iconographic example, featuring the Mexican mock orange plant (acuilloxochitl, or perhaps acuiloxochitl), is included in this digital collection for the purpose of making comparisons with related hieroglyphs. The term selected for this example comes from the text near the image in the Digital Florentine Codex. There is no gloss, per se. The translation is provided by the DFC staff. This example shows a leafy upright plant with many small flowers. Some of the flowers are shown in a frontal view, and some in profile. Those in profile have three visible petals, but those in the frontal view have four or five petals with small leaf tips appearing between the petals. The text asserts that the cuilloxochitl (which might also be spelled cuiloxochitl) is the same flower. Both of them “encircle” and spread in circles, perhaps reminiscent of writing. Note the verb cuiloa means to write or paint, and that “cuil” might be at the heart of the name of this flower.