PlantPeers
Back to Catalog
No image available
Solanaceae FAMILY

Mandragora caulescens

Mandragora caulescens

Edibility
0/5
Medicinal
2/5

Safety & Hazards

All parts of the plant contain alkaloids and are poisonous[1, 2].

Cultivation Details

HabitPerennial
Growth—

Species in this genus generally prefer a deep humus-rich light soil and a sheltered position in full sun[3], though they also tolerate some shade[4]. Prefers a circumneutral soil[4] and dislikes chalk or gravel[5]. Plants are liable to rot in wet or ill-draining soils[5].

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in a cold frame. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Root cuttings in winter[4]. Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-21. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Mandragora+caulescens>

Pollinators

Data unavailable

References

  1. [1]Poisonous Plants. — Stary. F. · Hamlyn · 1983 · ISBN 0-600-35666-3 ↩︎Not very comprehensive, but easy reading.
  2. [2]The Herb Book. — Lust. J. · Bantam books · 1983 · ISBN 0-553-23827-2 ↩︎Lots of information tightly crammed into a fairly small book.
  3. [3]Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. — Bown. D. · Dorling Kindersley, London. · 1995 · ISBN 0-7513-020-31 ↩︎A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.
  4. [4]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.
  5. [5]A Modern Herbal. — Grieve. · Penguin · 1984 · ISBN 0-14-046-440-9 ↩︎Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.
  6. [6]Flora of China — Missouri Botanical Garden Press; St. Louis. · 1994 · http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/ ↩︎An excellent, comprehensive resource in 25 volumes. In addition to the botanical information the flora also gives basic information on habitat and some uses. An on-line version is also available.
  7. [7]A revision of the genus Mandragora (Solanaceae) — Ungricht S.; Knapp S; Press J.R. · 1998 · ISBN 0968-0446 ↩︎A detailed study of the genus, including information on the historical and modern medicinal uses