Dioscorea communis (L.) Caddick & Wilkin 2002
Syn. Tamus communis Linnaeus 1753 (Black Bryony)
In England and Europe, the native wild yam (Black Bryony) is moderately common in ancient hedgerows and woodland margins. From a large underground tuber arises a seasonal twining vine (right) with characteristic glossy heart shaped leaves and small greenish-yellow flowers followed by bright red glossy berries. The berries often persist after the foliage has withered, making a fine Autumnal display.
While the leaves are similar to those of the African "Elephant's Foot," the smooth tuber can not be successfully grown on the surface for display. However, it grows well outdoors in a large pot or bedded out. Watch out for snails which can dig deep into a pot, eat into tubers and lay hundreds of eggs for another generation.
The plants are either male or female, so careful selection of cultivated plants is needed to obtain a display of the attractive glossy red berries. To grow the seeds, mascerate the berries in water and separate the seeds from the pulp to discorage moulds. After sowing the seeds, place the pot outside where it will be exposed to a winter's cold, after which the seeds germinate freely.
The tubers and berries are very poisonous, yet "Black Bryony" figured in traditional herbal medicine as a powerful diuretic. The result of an overdose was a painful death. External application of the mascerated tuber was safer and used to treat bruises, chillblains, gout and rheumatism.
Note: To confuse the unwary amateur herbalist, the native English "White Bryony" is a Cucurbit with different toxic and herbal properties. Both Black and White Bryony are sometimes found growing together in hedges and woodland margins. White Bryony was cultivated in the past as a counterfeit of Mandrake root, a continental tuberous plant from the Family Solanaceae with a long history of use as an anaesthetic and in childbirth.
 |
 
Above left: female ♀ flowers
 
Above: male ♂ flowers
|
Families of Succulent Plants 
