Tamus communis 'Black Bryony'

[Syn. Dioscorea communis]

[Ex. Co. Durham, 60m., England]

Dioscoreaceae: A twining perennial, similar to White Bryony, but for the leaf shape and lack of tendrils. Grows in hedgerows and scrub. The flowers are tiny, yellowish green, 6-petalled, separate-sex plants, flowering from May-August. The flowers are followed by red berries which ripen in winter. The leaves are heart-shaped, glossy, and netted. Widespread in England and Wales, but rare in the north. Native to Europe, south and east from Britain and Belgium to North Africa, Hungary, Eastern Mediterranean, Western Asia.

USES:

The root has antiecchymotic, diuretic, emetic, haemolytic and rubefacient properties. Use with caution, the plant is rich in saponins, has a very powerful cathartic affect and ranks as a dangerous irritant poison. It is not normally used internally, but the macerated root is applied externally as a poultice to bruises, rheumatic joints. This should not be done without expert advice since it can cause painful blisters. The root is used fresh or can be harvested in the autumn and dried for later use.

GROWING INFORMATION:

Requires a moist well-drained fertile soil. A climbing plant, the weak stems support themselves by twining around other plants and are capable of growing quite high up into shrubs and trees. Dioecious. Male and female plants must be grown if seed is required.

Sow seeds in a cold frame in early spring or as soon as the seed is ripe in the autumn. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots once they are large enough to handle, and plant out in the summer or in late spring of the following year.

HARVESTED: 2024

 
APPROX. 20 SEEDS