Mandrake

Mandragora officinarum, the mandrake, is a stemless perennial herb of the nightshade family (Solanaceae), native to the Mediterranean region. It grows from a large, fleshy, often forked taproot that may be a metre long and which, by its sometimes vaguely human form, gave rise to centuries of folklore. The plant produces a low rosette of large, ovate to lance-shaped leaves that lie close to or spread across the ground, becoming wrinkled and dark green. Borne among the leaves on short stalks, the flowers are bell-shaped with five lobes, ranging from greenish-white to pale violet or blue, and appear in autumn or early spring depending on the population. They are followed by rounded, fleshy berries that ripen to yellow or orange and emit a strong scent. The whole plant, and especially the root and leaves, contains tropane alkaloids including hyoscyamine, scopolamine and atropine, making it highly poisonous. It favours open, stony or disturbed ground, field margins and rocky slopes in warm, dry Mediterranean habitats.