xochicuahuitl (FCbk11f187v)

This iconographic example, featuring black-line drawing of a flowering tree (xochicuahuitl), 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. This example actually shows two plants, one might be the yolloxochicuahuitl and the other the xochicuahuitl, but it is unclear which is which, and neither looks like a tree, unless it is a small sample from a branch. But the introduction to this section is “Quavitl suchitl itech mochioa,” or “Blossoms which grow on trees.” Then, the description of the xochicuahuitl in this manuscript is of a large, rounded tree with many branches and lots of blossoms, very fragrant. But, the keywording team of the DFC says that the xochicuahuitl is a black sage plant. So, perhaps some further research is indicated. The Online Nahuatl Dictionary shows how variable the translations for this term can be.