Scandix pecten-veneris (shepherd's-needle, Venus' comb, Venus's needle) is a plant species in the parsley family.
In 1603, in the second edition of his treatise Iconologia, Cesare Ripa associated the symbol with the Italia turrita, and creates a modern version of Italy’s allegorical personification: woman with a star on top of a towered crown, therefore supplied with the Corona muralis and the Stella Veneris.