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Bryony

Bryonia

Bryony
Photo: Magnus Manske, CC BY-SA 3.0

Bryonia is a genus of perennial, tendril-climbing herbs in the gourd family, best known as white and red bryony, native to western Eurasia and nearby regions. Grown mainly as a garden curiosity, and the key is that the whole plant is poisonous and should be handled with care.

Family
Cucurbitaceae (Gourd family)
Light
Part shade, Full sun
Water
Water regularly during the growing season and let the top of the soil dry out slightly between waterings.
Soil
Well-drained, moderately fertile soil or a loam-based mix.
Temperature
10–25 °C; hardy perennial in cool temperate climates, protect from hard frost in containers.
How easy
Easy
Safety
Toxic: All parts, especially the roots and berries, contain cucurbitacin glycosides that cause vomiting, diarrhoea and can be fatal if eaten.

About

Bryonia is a genus of flowering plants in the gourd family. Bryony is its best-known common name. They are native to western Eurasia and adjacent regions, such as North Africa, the Canary Islands and South Asia.

Uses

Bryonies are occasionally grown in gardens, sometimes accidentally, sometimes deliberately so. Some species find use in herbal medicine. Generally however, these plants are poisonous, some highly so, and may be fatal if ingested. Cucurbitacin glycosides are primarily responsible for the plants' bitterness and emetic effects.

Other Bryonia plants

White bryony · Cretan bryony

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Bryonia by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.

The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.

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