Bryonia alba is a herbaceous, perennial, climbing plant producing branching stems up to 4 metres long from a tuberous rootstock.The stems scramble over the ground, climbing into the surrounding vegetation where they attach themselves by means of tendrils.The plant has been used in the past as a medicine, and possibly also as a food, though both these uses should be viewed with some caution. The plant is also sometimes encouraged as an ornamental in hedgerows.
Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: neutral and basic (alkaline) soils.
All parts of the plant, and especially the root, are poisonous.The root can cause severe diarrhoea and vomiting, resulting in death within a matter of hours
