Mandragora officinarum var. autumnalis
opdehaar | 13-12-2009 21:26
There are several species of plants throughout the world referred to as
"mandrake" such as Podophyllum peltatum in USA (American
Mandrake) but I am concerned here with what is sometimes called the
European Mandrake or Mandragora officinarum. This occurs around the
Mediterranean area and comes in two variants. There is a white-flowered
spring or "vernalis" form and one with blue-purple flowers which
appear from about September (i.e. "autumnalis") and which is
the variety in our garden. Mandrake's claim to exotic fame is really
more thanks to its reputation once ingested rather than its appearance
which is reminiscent of that of borage (Borago officionalis).
Mandragora basically means "dangerous to cattle" while officinarum
implies "of the apothecary" which
together indicate that the plant is at least
potentially poisonous and indeed poisoning does occur in places such
as Sicily when mandrake is mistaken for borage. Reference to the Internet reveals
extensive data on mandrake alkaloids and the symptoms of ingesting
the plant including the hallucination-inducing effects apparently
beloved of witches and warlocks. The alkaloids exist throughout the mandrake,
including its root, and as readers of Harry Potter will be aware, the alleged
screams which occur if one attempts to uproot a mandrake will drive a human
insane. This last property may indeed provide one explanation as
to why it is relatively difficult to find in garden centres and
plant nurseries! I came across our plant in Bob Brown's Cotswold Garden
Flowers nursery at Badsey near Evesham - always worth a visit (www.cgf.net) .
Mandragora officinarum thrives in a warm, sheltered spot preferably in the sun and with a fairly open soil which allows its root ample scope to drive downwards. One literature note on pot cultivation interestingly remarks that once pot-cultivated plants develop roots which touch the bottom of the pot, this can induce summer dormancy. The literature suggests that it needs protecting from anything more than a light frost and, not surprisingly, it needs to be rather dry in the winter so as not to suffer root rot. It can be propagated either from seed or by root division ( see Internet for details and possible seed suppliers). As the photo taken on 20th November 2009 illustrates, our specimen is appreciating the mild autumn and I'm hoping it will be sheltered enough for fruits to develop but this is probably tempting fate too much. How it will cope with winter conditions remains to be seen but indications are that it is relatively tender.