Black Bryony - Tamus communis, species information page

Black Bryony - Tamus communis

This plant is very poisonous.

A climbing plant similar in appearance and habit to Field Bindweed - (Convolvulus arvensis), but growing from a tuber which puts it in the same family as the Yam, it is the only member of the family to be found in the U.K. A common plant of hedges, woods and similar habitats, weak stems twining round anything within reach, climbing or creeping amongst trees, bushes and undergrowth. Heart-shaped pointed leaves, smooth with a shiny appearance as if they have been varnished, turning dark purple or bright yellow, stems die down in the winter, rootstock is perennial. Small greenish-white flowers in loose bunches some of which can be infertile, usually on one plant, fertile flowers mature to shiny bright red berries when ripe. The large, fleshy root high in starch is black on the outside and very acrid, and extremely poisonous. Literature usually states that 15 berries could be fatal to a child.

Three species of Bryony are found in Europe, Asia & North Africa, they have been subject to some discussion in plant literature from an early mis-identification by some botanists. All have a similar climbing habit, one species with black fruit and some with red, transposition of the fruit's colour when originally identified, along with the "alba" epithet used to describe the flower colour of one species as opposed to the fruit colour of the others, gave rise to the confusion of species names.

Black Bryony - (Tamus communis L.), has yellow-green flowers and red fruit.
White Bryony - (Bryonia alba L.), has white flowers and black berries, was also known as English Mandrake but it is not native to the U.K, roots had also been offered as Mandrake.
White Bryony - (Bryonia cretica L. ssp. dioica Tutin), also known as Red Bryony, dioecious, has white flowers and red berries

This plant is very poisonous.

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