Dioscorea communis BLACK BRYONY (10 seeds)

Black bryony or Dioscorea communis in Latin is a climbing plant from the yam family called Dioscoreaceae.
It is a common plant in Europe, Asia and northern Africa, regions where it is native.
Its flowers are small and white like those of common bryony or black nightshade.
Black bryony seeds are small and round like those of chasteberry or ololiuqui.

Young shoots of chipmunk are sometimes eaten in spring like asparagus.
The flavor is very bitter but no toxicity seems to have been observed.
However, if you know how to cook them well, the bitterness almost completely disappears.

In medicine, Black bryony has emmenagogue, diuretic and antiepileptic properties.
Contact with ripe fruits or rhizomes can cause dermatitis due to the penetration of calcium oxalate crystals into the skin.
Tamier root was used in popular medicine to treat bruises.
The grated pulp was applied locally.
The root boiled for 2 to 3 hours, crushed with lard, was used as an ointment for rheumatism.

The best time to sow Black bryony seeds is from the beginning of March until the end of April in order to take advantage of the cool climate to carry out stratification naturally.
It is also possible to carry out stratification artificially by leaving the seeds for 4 to 6 weeks in the refrigerator.
Then, sow the Black bryony seeds by burying them 0.5 cm deep, pack then water the crop delicately by spraying.

Use a fine, well-draining potting soil type substrate.
Finally, place the culture in a warm place in a greenhouse at a temperature between 15 and 20°C.

Germination of Black bryony seeds takes a relatively long time; it will take between 3 to 5 weeks on average after stratification and sowing.

Be careful not to confuse it with the dioecious black bryony which looks similar but is entirely toxic.
Do not consume without medical advice, to be cultivated only as a collector's plant.
Climbing medicinal plant seeds to grow outdoors.