''Bryonia alba'' (also known as white bryony or wild hop) is a vigorous vine in the family

Cucurbitaceae The Cucurbitaceae, also called cucurbits or the gourd family, are a plant family consisting of about 965 species in around 95 genera, of which the most important to humans are: *''Cucurbita'' – squash, pumpkin, zucchini, some gourds *''Lagena ...

, found in Europe and Northern Iran. It has a

growth habit Habit, equivalent to habitus in some applications in biology, refers variously to aspects of behaviour or structure, as follows: *In zoology (particularly in ethology), habit usually refers to aspects of more or less predictable ''behaviour'', i ...

similar to

kudzu Kudzu (; also called Japanese arrowroot or Chinese arrowroot) is a group of climbing, coiling, and trailing deciduous perennial vines native to much of East Asia, Southeast Asia, and some Pacific islands, but invasive species, invasive in many ...

, which gives it a highly destructive potential outside its native range as a noxious weed. Other common names include false mandrake, English mandrake, wild vine, and wild hops, wild nep, tamus, ladies' seal, and tetterbury.

Description

herbaceous Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition of t ...

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

vine of the cucumber family, white bryony is

monoecious Monoecy (; adj. monoecious ) is a sexual system in seed plants where separate male and female cones or flowers are present on the same plant. It is a monomorphic sexual system alongside gynomonoecy, andromonoecy and trimonoecy. Monoecy is conne ...

but

diclinous Plant reproductive morphology is the study of the physical form and structure (the morphology) of those parts of plants directly or indirectly concerned with sexual reproduction. Among all living organisms, flowers, which are the reproductive s ...

(separate male and female flowers found on the same plant) with a tuberous yellow root. Greenish-white flowers are across. Long curling tendrils, flowers, and fruit all stem from axils of palmately lobed leaves. The fruit is a berry which blackens as it ripens.

Distribution

White bryony is native to Europe and Northern Iran. It has also been introduced to the United States, where it is listed as a

noxious weed A noxious weed, harmful weed or injurious weed is a weed that has been designated by an agricultural or other governing authority as a plant that is injurious to agricultural or horticultural crops, natural habitats or ecosystems, or humans or liv ...

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyom ...

, and

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbi ...

Ecology

Birds are the most common dispersal mechanism for this plant. They deposit seeds where they eat and nest, and so bryony is prevalent in native hawthorn patches and in windbreak, shelterbelt, riparian buffer, and wildlife plantings. ''Bryonia alba'' leaves may be used as a food plant by the larvae of

cabbage moth The cabbage moth (''Mamestra brassicae'') is primarily known as a pest that is responsible for severe crop damage of a wide variety of plant species. The common name, cabbage moth, is a misnomer as the species feeds on many fruits, vegetables, ...

Toxicity

All parts of ''Bryonia alba'' contain bryonin which is poisonous and may cause illness or death. Livestock may also be poisoned by consuming the fruit and leaves. Forty berries constitutes a lethal dose for adult humans. upright

Invasive species

Outside of its native range, this vine is often a very aggressive

invasive weed An invasive species otherwise known as an alien is an introduced organism that becomes overpopulated and harms its new environment. Although most introduced species are neutral or beneficial with respect to other species, invasive species ad ...

. It can produce three vines at a time, which each grow up to per day. It has a climbing growth pattern similar to

, and will grow into a dense mat when it cannot climb. Once established, it will climb other plants and trees as well as fences and buildings, blocking the sun and even rain from its host. Winter snow or heavy rains weighing down the mat of foliage create extra weight, leading to breakage of host limbs or even felling of entire host trees. Control of white bryony usually involves manual pulling and very frequent removal of new growth, diligence being the key to success. Plants may be killed manually by severing the roots below ground surface to remove the crown and prevent re-sprouting. Tillage is often ineffective and can harm host plant roots, but broadleaf herbicides such as

glyphosate Glyphosate (IUPAC name: ''N''-(phosphonomethyl)glycine) is a broad-spectrum Herbicide, systemic herbicide and Crop desiccation, crop desiccant. It is an organophosphorus compound, specifically a phosphonate, which acts by inhibiting the plan ...

can be useful when care is taken not to spray host plant leaves. Multiple applications are necessary to eventually move herbicide to the root and block production of new shoots. The dispersed seeds are viable for many years, so manually removing ''B. alba'' before seed production is important.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q157980 Cucurbitoideae Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus