Black Bryony

Black Bryony (Tamus communis, syn. Dioscorea communis (L.) Caddick & Wilkin) is a flowering plant, in the yam family Dioscoreaceae, native to Europe, northwest Africa and western Asia.

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It is a climbing herbaceous plant growing to 2-4 m tall, with twining stems. The leaves are spirally arranged, heart-shaped, up to 10 cm long and 8 cm broad, with a petiole up to 5 cm long. It is dioecious, with separate male and female plants. The flowers are individually inconspicuous, greenish-yellow, 3-6 mm diameter, with six petals; the male flowers produced in slender 5-10 cm racemes, the female flowers in shorter clusters. The fruit is a bright red berry, 1 cm diameter. Its fairly large tuber is, like the rest of the plant, poisonous.

References

• Blamey, M. & Grey-Wilson, C. (1989). Flora of Britain and Northern Europe. Hodder & Stoughton. ISBN 0-340-40170-2.
• Flora Europaea: Tamus communis distribution