Black Bryony berries

One of my favourite hedgerow plants is Black Bryony, Tamus communis. It scrambles over hedges and I love its exotic, glossy dark green, heart shaped leaves, which are followed by strings of red berries in autumn. It almost seems too exotic for this country and it is fitting that it is Britain’s only member of the mainly tropical Yam family, Dioscoreaceae.

Black Bryony is a common plant in England and Wales but almost unknown in Scotland (see distribution map) so I first saw Black Bryony on trips to North Wales as a child, visiting my grandmother on the Island of Anglesey. There were lots of lovely footpaths nearby and the vegetation was lush and included huge swags of Black Bryony.

In autumn Black Bryony dies back and stores its energy underground in an irregularly shaped blackish tuber. In spring shoots appear and rapidly grow upwards, twining round the supporting hedge or fence.

Black Bryony is a poisonous plant. It contains a variety of toxic compounds but it is calcium oxalate crystals (known as raphides) that are mainly responsible for the various symptoms that occur. The berries are attractive to children and they can cause burning and blistering of the mouth and digestive system, resulting in vomiting and diarrhoea. The sap is also an irritant.

Black Bryony leaves

However, very young shoots of Black Bryony lack these crystals and are sometimes eaten as a spring delicacy, though I haven’t tried them and probably never will, so I definitely can’t recommend them to you. I’m happy simply to observe this fascinating plant.

Black Bryony is not related to White Bryony, Bryonia dioica, another twining hedgerow plant that is a member of the Cucumber family, Cucurbitaceae. The name Bryony, according to Richard Mabey in “Flora Britannica”, comes from the classical Greek bruein, meaning “to be full to bursting”.

See here for more (and rather lovely) pictures of Black Bryony and A Modern Herbal for more information.

Update, May 2022

In his excellent book “Around The World In 80 Plants“, my friend Stephen Barstow says the young shoots “are still used today in various spring dishes throughout the Mediterranean area. They must, however, be cooked as it is mildly toxic raw” (pages 103 – 104). (My emphasis.)

The French seasonal treats link above replaces one from the Dubrovnik Tourist Board that no longer works.