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Tamus communis

Common name:	Black Bryony	Family:	Dioscoreaceae
Author:	L.	Botanical references:	17
Synonyms:
Known Hazards:	The whole plant is poisonous due to its saponin content[7]. Although toxic, saponins are very poorly absorbed by the body and so tend to pass through without causing harm. They are also broken down by thorough cooking. Saponins are found in many plants, including several that are often used for food, such as certain beans. It is advisable not to eat large quantities of food that contain saponins. Saponins are much more toxic to some creatures, such as fish, and hunting tribes have traditionally put large quantities of them in streams, lakes etc in order to stupefy or kill the fish[K]. The toxic effect of this plant is not caused by saponins, but by calcium oxalate crystals which are found mainly in the fruit[65].
Range:	Europe, south and east from Britain and Belgium to N. Africa, Hungary, E. Mediterranean, W. Asia.
Habitat:	Hedgerows, scrub, woodland edges and copses, avoiding acid soils[1, 9].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	1	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	2

Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Al Karam Al Barri [E], Black Bryony [H,E], Blackeye Root [H], Bryony,Black [E], Lady'S Seal [E], Nueza Negra [E], Siyah Akasma [E],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	communis = common;
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Liliales. Yam family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	Britain; Egypt; Europe; Iraq; Spain; Turkey

Physical Characteristics

Perennial Climber growing to 3.5m at a medium rate. It is hardy to zone 5. It is in flower from May to July, and the seeds ripen from September to November. The flowers are dioecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but only one sex is to be found on any one plant so both male and female plants must be grown if seed is required) and are pollinated by Bees and flies. The plant not is self-fertile. We rate it 1/5 for edibility and 2/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils, requires well-drained soil and can grow in heavy clay soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist soil. The plant can tolerates strong winds but not maritime exposure.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Hedgerow, Woodland, Dappled Shade, Shady Edge.

Edible Uses

Leaves.

Young shoots - cooked[2, 4, 61, 65]. A decidedly bitter flavour[7]. An asparagus substitute, it is best if the water is changed once whilst cooking[115]. See notes at top of the page regarding possible toxicity.

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Antiecchymotic; Cathartic; Diuretic; Emetic; Haemolytic; Poultice; Rubefacient.

The root is antiecchymotic, diuretic, emetic, haemolytic and rubefacient[4, 7, 9]. Use with caution, the plant is rich in saponins, has a very powerful cathartic affect and ranks as a dangerous irritant poison[4, 7]. It is not normally used internally, but the macerated root is applied externally as a poultice to bruises, rheumatic joints etc[4, 7]. This should not be done without expert advice since it can cause painful blisters[9]. The root is used fresh[9] or can be harvested in the autumn and dried for later use[7].

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

Requires a moist well-drained fertile soil[17].
A climbing plant, the weak stems support themselves by twining around other plants and are capable of growing quite high up into shrubs and trees[4].
Dioecious. Male and female plants must be grown if seed is required.

Propagation

Seed - sow in a cold frame in early spring or as soon as the seed is ripe in the autumn. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots once they are large enough to handle, and plant out in the summer or in late spring of the following year.

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

Details of Medicinal Uses, Habitats, etc. in M. Grieve A Modern Herbal (1931) [4]
[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for the family Dioscoreaceae.

[CHINA] Data Very detailed botanical/identification info. from the Flora of China.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[2] Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.

[4] Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9
Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.

[7] Chiej. R. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald 1984 ISBN 0-356-10541-5
Covers plants growing in Europe. Also gives other interesting information on the plants. Good photographs.

[9] Launert. E. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn 1981 ISBN 0-600-37216-2
Covers plants in Europe. a drawing of each plant, quite a bit of interesting information.

[17] Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962
A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.

[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.

[65] Frohne. D. and Pfänder. J. A Colour Atlas of Poisonous Plants. Wolfe 1984 ISBN 0723408394
Brilliant. Goes into technical details but in a very readable way. The best work on the subject that I've come across so far.

[115] Johnson. C. P. The Useful Plants of Great Britain.
Written about a hundred years ago, but still a very good guide to the useful plants of Britain.

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Bibliography

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
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We make no claims of magical effects or supernatural powers for any item in this catalog. In spite of legendary attributes or occult and craft tradition, such items are offered as curios only and beliefs concerning their magical effectiveness are related only for historical interest.