WHITE BRYONY 187 



The two species of bryony must certainly find 

 a place in our wild garden. They are distin- 

 guished as the white or red-berried, and the 

 black. Though so similar in name they are 

 entirely different plants in appearance and 

 botanical affinity. Both are climbing plants bear- 

 ing a large number of richly coloured berries. 



In the white bryony the foliage is quaintly 

 angular and somewhat vine-like, and the plant 

 supports itself by numerous tendrils, so that the 

 stems, wandering for yards, take entire possession 

 of the hedgerow. As the root-stock is perennial the 

 plant is to the fore each year, so with each recur- 

 ring season it clothes with welcome regularity a 

 long piece of our trellis with abundance of beautiful 

 foliage, with rich clusters of berries, first green, then 

 yellow, presently orange, and finally crimson ; the 

 fruit in all these varying tints, consequent on vary- 

 ing degrees of ripeness, being found together on 

 the plant. The white bryony grows with great 

 rapidity, as its name, Greek in its origin, testifies. 

 The flowers are small and pale green in colour, 

 some being stamen-bearing and others pistilliferous : 

 the latter alone yield the fruit. 



The white bryony is common enough in most 

 parts of England, but Scotland and Ireland would 

 appear to know it not. The root is very large, so 

 that it is somewhat difficult to transfer the plant 

 from the hedgerow to the garden. We have hope- 



