Bryonia


Bryonia is a genus of flowering plants in the gourd family. Bryony is its best-known common name. They are native to western Eurasia and adjacent regions, such as North Africa, the Canary Islands and South Asia.
Image:White bryony male close 800.jpg|thumb|right|Male flower of white bryony

Description and ecology

Bryonies are perennial, tendril-climbing, diclinous or dioecious herbs with palmately lobed leaves and flowers in axillary clusters. The fruit is a smooth, globular berry.
Bryonia is used as a food plant by the larvae of some Lepidoptera, including the tortrix moth Phtheochroa rugosana and the cabbage moth. The horticultural value contributes to formation of pest and crop damage by the food plant consumption.

Use by humans

Bryonies are occasionally grown in gardens, sometimes accidentally, sometimes deliberately so. Some species find use in herbal medicine. Generally however, these plants are poisonous, some highly so, and may be fatal if ingested. Cucurbitacin glycosides are primarily responsible for the plants' bitterness and emetic effects.
Variants of the plants' name, such as Bryony, are used in some cultures as female given names. They were quite popular in the 18th century.
The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom named two ships HMS Bryony after the plant.

Species

Twelve species are currently accepted by the USDA:
Ten of these are supported in a molecular-phylogenetic analysis:
The only English species, B. dioica, grows in hedgerows as far north as Yorkshire.
  • Bryonia acuta Desf.
  • Bryonia alba L. - white bryony
  • Bryonia aspera Steven ex Ledeb.
  • Bryonia cretica L. - Cretan bryony
  • Bryonia dioica Jacq. - white or red bryony
  • Bryonia lappifolia Vassilcz.
  • Bryonia marmorata E.M.A.Petit
  • Bryonia melanocarpa Nabiev
  • Bryonia monoica Aitch. & Hemsl.
  • Bryonia multiflora Boiss. & Heldr.
  • Bryonia syriaca Boiss.
  • Bryonia verrucosa Aiton

    Formerly placed here

  • Many species of Cayaponia
  • Several species of Cucumis, Solena and Zehneria
  • Coccinia abyssinica
  • Corallocarpus epigaeus
  • Diplocyclos palmatus
  • Kedrostis africana
  • Melothria pendula
  • ''Trichosanthes ovigera''