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Circaea lutetiana
Also called Enchanter's Nightshade, Common Enchanter's Nightshade, Enchanter's Nightshade, Witch's Grass, Common Enchanter’s Nightshade
A perennial woodland herb in the evening primrose family, 20 to 60 cm tall, with small white summer flowers and a rhizome that dies back in winter. It grows best in deep shade and rich, moist soil.
Circaea lutetiana, known as broad-leaved enchanter's nightshade, is a plant in the evening primrose family, Onagraceae.
The genus name comes from the enchantress Circe of Greek mythology and the specific designation is derived from Lutetia, the Latin name for Paris, which was sometimes referred to as the "Witch City". Despite its name it is not especially toxic, but contains a lot of the astringent tannin.
It is cultivated as an ornamental garden plant. It prefers a shaded position in rich, moist soil. The cultivar 'Caveat Emptor' has leaves that are heavily mottled pink.
The plant is native to Europe, Middle Asia, and Siberia. North American populations are now considered to be a separate species, Circaea canadensis. It grows in woods in deep shade and moist environments on nitrogen-containing clay.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Circaea lutetiana 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.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
