Dioscorea communis
black bryony
Overview
Dioscorea communis, long known as Tamus communis and called black bryony, is a herbaceous climbing perennial in the yam family (Dioscoreaceae) that twines through hedgerows and woodland edges from a large black underground tuber. The smooth, unbranched stems wind clockwise and reach 6-13 feet (2-4 m) in a season, dying back to the tuber each winter. The glossy, heart-shaped leaves are alternate and deeply veined, with a long pointed tip and a slender stalk. Plants are either male or female: both carry small greenish-yellow six-parted flowers in slender clusters from late spring into summer, and female plants follow with strings of translucent red berries that persist into autumn after the leaves fall. The whole plant is poisonous, containing saponins and needle-like calcium oxalate crystals, and the sap can irritate skin. It grows from a deep, swollen tuber that resprouts readily, so established plants are persistent and hard to remove from hedge bottoms. Dense shade and waterlogged soil limit it, and seedlings take several years to reach flowering size.
Native Range
Native to western and southern Europe, North Africa, and western Asia, where it grows in hedgerows, scrub, woodland margins, and shady banks, often on calcareous soils. Its range reaches from the British Isles and the Mediterranean east into the Caucasus.Suggested Uses
Grown in wild and woodland gardens and conservation hedgerows where its autumn berries feed birds and add seasonal colour to shady margins. Used to clothe rustic fences, hedge banks, and trellis in naturalistic plantings. Its toxic berries make it unsuited to gardens used by young children or pets.How to Identify
Appearance
Size & Dimensions
Height6' - 13'
Width/Spread3' - 6'
Bloom Information
Greenish-yellow flowers open from May into July, the males in longer stalked sprays and the females in shorter clusters at the leaf bases. Small flies and bees carry pollen between the separate male and female plants. Pollinated females ripen green berries that turn translucent red through autumn.
Detailed Descriptions
Foliage Description
glossy greenGrowing Conditions
Sun Requirements
Requires 3-6 hours of direct sunlight daily
• Full Sun: 6+ hours of direct sunlight
• Partial Shade: 3-6 hours of direct sunlight
• Full Shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sunlight