536 



THE NATURE BOOK 



ance, but towards the end of the summer country. The name Bryony comes from 



these are succeeded by small clusters a Greek word signifying very rapid 



of green berries, which change to bright growth, and in this respect also both 



crimson in the autumn and are then plants are similar. Whereas the Black 



objects of great beauty. These berries Bryony grows by twining itself spirally 



are very poisonous. round the stems of other plants, the White 



WHITE BRYONY, ON A JUNIPER BUSH. 



The Black Bryony is the only repre- 

 sentative we have in this country of the 

 Yam family. Its roots are large and 

 fleshy, and black outside (whence the 

 name), inside they are white and full of 

 very acrid starch. In olden days a 

 decoction was made from these roots, 

 which was supposed to possess great 

 healing powers, and was especially used 

 as a cure for rheumatism. 



WHITE BRYONY 



The White Bryony {Bryonia dioica) 

 is no relation to the plant which has just 

 been described ; whereas the latter is 

 one of the Yams, this is a member of the 

 Gourd family {Cuciirhitacew), but, like 

 the other, it is the only representative 

 of the family that grows wild in this 



Bryony raises itself by means of tendrils ; 

 these are sensitive and revolv^e in the 

 same way as do the long shoots of the 

 Hop, in their efforts to find a support 

 round which they can twist themselves. 

 The rootstock is tuberous, white and some- 

 times branched ; the annual stems are 

 very rough, being covered with small 

 hairs which contain a bitter juice ; they 

 have a \'ery sickly scent when they are 

 dying. The leaves are divided into five 

 or seven rather irregular lobes, of which 

 the central lobe is the longest. As in the 

 Hop and the Bk.ck Bryony, the flowers 

 are of two kinds. The male, or barren, 

 blossoms are collected, several together, 

 in a stalked raceme, each flower being 

 about half an inch across, and pale 

 greenish yellow in colour, with dark green 



