Bryonia dioica

A wild plant that is noticeable in hedgerows and is found in the south and centre of England. The leaves are rather like those of a large ivy, but coloured a dull green with a particularly long central lobe and two subsidiary curved lobes near the base. The small flowers are coloured green-white, five petalled and held on short stalks if male, and lacking stalks if female. They are held on separate plants. Red berries follow. It will climb and spread with avidity. The root is violently purgative and toxic in excess. It has had a wide range of medicinal uses, but is unsuited to the unqualified. Its claim to fame lies in its large root, likened to the mandrake root (Mandragora officinalis). Weights of 8 kilograms have been reported in exceptional specimens.