Bryonia is a genus of around twelve species of flowering plants in the gourd family, Cucurbitaceae, placed in the order Cucurbitales. The genus is native to western Eurasia and adjacent regions, including North Africa, the Canary Islands, and South Asia. The best-known common name for the group is bryony.
Bryonies are perennial, tendril-climbing herbs that are either diclinous or dioecious — that is, they bear male and female flowers on separate or the same individual. The leaves are palmately lobed and the flowers arise in axillary clusters. The fruit is a smooth, globular berry.
All bryonies contain cucurbitacin glycosides, bitter compounds that make the plants highly toxic; some species are capable of causing fatal poisoning if ingested. Despite this, several species have a long history of use in herbal medicine. The genus also serves as a larval food plant for certain Lepidoptera, including the tortrix moth Phtheochroa rugosana and the cabbage moth (Mamestra brassicae). Well-known members of the genus include Bryonia dioica (red bryony), the only species native to England, and Bryonia alba (white bryony), which have both historically been used in folk medicine across Europe.
Etymology
The name Bryonia derives from the Greek bryein (βρύειν), meaning "to sprout" or "to grow luxuriantly," a reference to the plant's vigorous climbing growth habit. The common name "bryony" is the English form of the same Latin-Greek root.
Distribution
Bryonia is native to western Eurasia and adjacent regions, ranging from Europe through the Middle East and into South Asia, with additional occurrences in North Africa and the Canary Islands. Within Europe, B. dioica (red bryony) is the only species native to Britain, where it grows in hedgerows and scrub as far north as Yorkshire.
Ecology
Bryonies are climbing herbs that scramble through hedgerows and scrubland using tendrils. The plants produce smooth, globular berries that are toxic to humans and most mammals, but are consumed by some birds. The foliage supports the larvae of several Lepidoptera species, including the tortrix moth Phtheochroa rugosana (associated with B. dioica) and the cabbage moth (Mamestra brassicae). The bitter cucurbitacin glycosides the plants produce serve as a chemical defence against herbivory.
Cultural Uses
Bryonies have a long history of use in European herbal medicine, and some species were well known to ancient herbalists; a scholarly study has identified Bryonia alba as the plant depicted as "Bruonia melaina" in the ancient Greek pharmacopoeial text the Codex Vindobonensis (Dioscorides). Despite their toxicity, preparations from the roots were used historically as purgatives and emetics. The name "Bryony" has also been used as a female given name in some cultures, and was particularly popular in the 18th century. The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom named two ships HMS Bryony after the plant.
