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Solanaceae FAMILY

Mandragora turcomanica

Mandragora turcomanica

Edibility
1/5
Medicinal
2/5

Safety & Hazards

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

Cultivation Details

HabitPerennial
Growth—

Mandragora turkomanica commences growth with the beginning of the rainy season in the autumn, growing through the winter, flowering in late winter to early spring before dying down and becoming dormant through the hot, dry summer[3]. Species in this genus generally prefer a deep humus-rich light soil and a sheltered position in full sun[4], though they also tolerate some shade[5]. Prefers a circumneutral soil[5] and dislikes chalk or gravel[6]. Plants are liable to rot in wet or ill-draining soils[6].

Propagation

Seed - best sown in a cold frame in the autumn[7]. The seed can also be sown in 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[5]. The plant is capable of vegetative reproduction, having numerous underground buds on its root[3]. Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-21. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Mandragora+turcomanica>

Pollinators

Insects

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]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.
  4. [4]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.
  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]A Modern Herbal. — Grieve. · Penguin · 1984 · ISBN 0-14-046-440-9 ↩︎Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.
  7. [7]The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers — Brickell. C. · Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd. · 1990 · ISBN 0-86318-386-7 ↩︎Excellent range of photographs, some cultivation details but very little information on plant uses.
  8. [8]IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — http://www.iucnredlist.org/ ↩︎A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.
  9. [9]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
  10. [PFAF]Plants for a Future — pfaf.org ↩︎