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Cucurbitaceae FAMILY

Bryonia alba

Bryonia alba

Edibility
1/5
Medicinal
3/5

Safety & Hazards

All parts of the plant, and especially the root, are poisonous[1]. Taken orally, the root can cause dizziness, vomiting, convulsions, colic, bloody diarrhoea, abortion, nervous excitement, and kidney damage. Large doses can cause anuria, collapse, spasms, paralysis, and death. Applied topically, skin contact with fresh root may cause irritation. Ingestion of 15 berries is likely to be fatal to a child., whilst ingestion of 40 berries is likely to be fatal for adults

Cultivation Details

HabitPerennial Climber
GrowthFast

A rapid grower, it is of easy cultivation succeeding in most soils that are well drained[2], avoiding acid soils in the wild[3]. Established plants are very drought tolerant, with a large tuber that helps to store water[4]. Plants can be easily encouraged by scattering ripe seed at the base of hedgerows[5]. Plants in the north of their range are monoecious, but those growing in the south are dioecious[5]. Where necessary, male and female plants must be grown if seed is required.

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame. Sow stored seed in late winter in a cold frame. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter, planting them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Division in early spring. Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Bryonia+alba>

Pollinators

Bees

References

  1. [1]The Complete Homeopathy Handbook. — Castro. M. · Macmillan. London. · 1990 · ISBN 0-333-55581-3 ↩︎A concise beginner's guide to the subject. Very readable.
  2. [2]RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 — F. Chittendon. · Oxford University Press · 1951 · ISBN - ↩︎Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaced in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [ 200 ]).
  3. [3]Flora of the British Isles. — Clapham, Tutin and Warburg. · Cambridge University Press · 1962 · ISBN - ↩︎A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.
  4. [4]Bryonia alba L. and Ecballium elaterium (L.) A. Rich. - Two related species of the Cucurbitaceae family with importa — Irina Ielciu; Michel Feédérich; Monique Tits; Luc Angenot; R · 2016 ↩︎
  5. [5]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
  6. [6]Flora of the USSR. — Komarov. V. L. · Israel Program for Scientific Translation · 1968 · http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org · ISBN - ↩︎An immense (25 or more large volumes) and not yet completed translation of the Russian flora. Full of information on plant uses and habitats but heavy going for casual readers. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
  7. [7]Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. — Hedrick. U. P. · Dover Publications · 1972 · ISBN 0-486-20459-6 ↩︎Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.
  8. [8]A Modern Herbal. — Grieve. · Penguin · 1984 · ISBN 0-14-046-440-9 ↩︎Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.
  9. [9]A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. — Usher. G. · 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.
  10. [PFAF]Plants for a Future — pfaf.org ↩︎