By Casso
Kent, United Kingdom
What is this plant please?
- 28 Jul, 2013
Answers
This is White Bryony (bryonia cretica ssp dioica) which is a pretty, rampant climber, but poisonous. It has coloured berries in shades of yellow, orange, white, green and red all at the same time, making it pretty. The berries are very poisonous, as few as 15 can kill a child.
We pull ours out as fast as it appears. It has a root which gets bigger every year and looks like a parsnip - all parts are poisonous.
28 Jul, 2013
yep you are right honeysuckle. now I've looked at it on a large screen it is white bryony. I hadn't noticed the tendrils.
28 Jul, 2013
The literature seems to only have a small number of cases of animal poisoning. Kew Gardens' book about poisonous plants says there are very few reported cases and ingestion of a small amount could cause mild poisoning.
The root is said to be a strong laxative. It used to be made to look like Mandragora officinarum, mandrake, and sold to the gullible who believed in mandrake's aphrodisiac reputation.
28 Jul, 2013
A laxative sold as an 'aphrodisiac' ... LOL!!
Sorry, just my sense of humour ...
28 Jul, 2013
looks like a Hop, Hummulis lupulus. according to my wildflower book common in hedgerows in the south of England.
28 Jul, 2013