Black bryony

How to recognise it

Growth form

Perennial twining climber of 2–4 m, without tendrils or aerial roots; the stems die back every autumn.

Leaf

Heart-shaped with a long tip, 5–15 cm, alternate, smooth and very glossy dark green, with curved veins running from the base to the tip.

Flower

Dioecious. Small yellowish-green flowers of 3–6 mm: male flowers in long, slender spikes, female flowers in short clusters; in May–July.

Fruit/seed

Glossy red berries of about 1 cm, in clusters, only on female plants; ripe in autumn.

Roots

A large, fleshy tuber with blackish skin, deep in the ground.

Confusion with

White bryony climbs with tendrils, has palmately lobed, rough leaves and also red berries. Hedge bindweed has arrow-shaped leaves and large white trumpet flowers. Bittersweet has oval red berries and purple flowers with a yellow centre.

Flowering: May–July · Pruning: February–March

Why grow it?

• One of the few native twining climbers, ideal for dressing up a natural hedge.
• The red berries hang on into winter like garlands in the bare shrubs.
• The small flowers are visited by small flies and other tiny insects.
• Some birds eat the berries and so spread the seeds.
• Glossy, heart-shaped leaves that turn yellow to purplish-brown in autumn.

Black bryony: where does it grow best?

• In the wild: hedges, woodland edges, scrub, sunken lanes and open broadleaved woods, mainly on chalky or loamy soil.
• Sun to partial shade: the tuber in the shade of the hedge, the leaves and flowers in the light.
• Moderately dry to moist, well-drained soil; no waterlogging.
• In the garden: in a mixed native hedge or woodland edge, where it can climb through hazel, hawthorn or blackthorn, away from places where small children play.

Goes well with

• Hazel: A sturdy shrub for it to twine up into.
• Hawthorn: A thorny hedge with white blossom, against which the red berries stand out in autumn.
• Wild privet: A hedging shrub for chalky soil, with white flowers and black berries.
• Traveller’s joy: Another native climber of chalky hedges, with fluffy seed heads in winter.

Black bryony: when and how to plant it?

1. Buy a plant from a nursery for native plants; never dig up a tuber in the wild.
2. Plant in October–November or in March, at the foot of a hedge or shrub it can climb into.
3. Plant at the same depth as in the pot and choose the spot carefully: an older tuber sits deep and is hard to move.
4. You can also sow: in autumn, wearing gloves, take the seeds from ripe berries, rinse them clean and sow them straight away outdoors in a pot. They need a cold winter and often germinate only after a year or more.
5. Wear gloves when planting: the sap of the tuber and stems can irritate the skin.
6. Water in dry spells during the first year and choose a spot away from play areas, because the red berries are poisonous.

Care

Water

Only in the first year, during dry spells. After that its deep tuber sees it through.

Feeding

Not needed: it grows well in ordinary garden soil.

Support

It twines around the branches of shrubs; a hedge, a fence with shrubs or a few branches are enough.

Berries

Leave them for the birds if no small children come near; otherwise cut off the berry clusters in late summer, wearing gloves.

Seedlings

It does not spread aggressively, but seedlings sometimes appear in the hedge. Pull young plants out with gloves on if you do not want them.

Tip: Let it climb through a hedge that you do not clip every year: in autumn you will get garlands of red berries among the yellow leaves. Always wear gloves when you handle it.

Pruning and mowing

Pruning months: February–March.

When: In February–March, before the new shoots appear.

How:

• Pull the dead, dried stems out of the hedge; they come away easily.
• Leave them until the end of winter: the berries are winter food and the stems shelter insects.
• Wear gloves: even dried berries and stem remains are poisonous.
• Ideally prune the hedge it climbs in at the same time, before it starts growing again.

Caution: Do not cut living stems in summer without good reason: the plant needs its leaves to fill up its tuber.

Pruning: when and how · Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Seed

In autumn, take the seeds from ripe berries (wearing gloves), rinse them and sow at once outdoors. Germination is slow, often only after a winter or longer.

Seedlings

Seedlings often appear by themselves under the hedge. Lift them young, in their first or second year while the tuber is still small, and replant them elsewhere.

Black bryony: how does it get through the winter?

Hardy to −20 °C.

• The stems and leaves die back in autumn; the tuber overwinters deep in the ground.
• The red berries often hang on the withered stems into winter and stand out in the bare hedge.
• Hardy throughout Belgium.

Diseases and pests

• Poisonous berries: Glossy red berries attract children. Do not plant it near play areas, or cut off the berry clusters.
• Skin irritation: The sap of the tuber and stems can cause itching and redness. Work with gloves.
• Confusion: It is confused with white bryony or bittersweet, which also have red berries. All three are poisonous: never eat red berries from climbers in a hedge.
• No berries: Only female plants produce berries, and only if a male plant grows nearby.
• Few flowers: In deep shade it flowers poorly. Let it climb up into the light.

Through the year

• February: Pull dead stems out of the hedge, wearing gloves.
• March: Last chance to clear old stems. Plant.
• April: New shoots appear and twine around the branches.
• May: Flowering begins.
• June: Flowering: small flowers for tiny flies and other insects.
• July: Last flowers; green berries swell.
• September: The berries turn red. Remove them if small children come near.
• October: Plant. The leaves turn yellow to purplish-brown. Collect seed with gloves on and sow at once.
• November: The stems die back; the berries stay on.
• December: Red berries in the bare hedge.

Did you know?

• In French it is also called ‘herbe aux femmes battues’ (battered wives’ herb): the grated tuber was once rubbed on bruises. Its sap, however, irritates the skin.
• It belongs to the same family as the tropical yams, whose tubers are an important food in Africa, Asia and the Americas once cooked; our black bryony, by contrast, is poisonous.
• Despite its name it is not related to white bryony: ‘black’ refers to the blackish skin of the tuber.