Tamus Communis/black Bryony

The flowers clusters of this unusual British native, which is dioecious, with separate male and female plants, are greenish-yellow, with the male flowers produced in slender 5-10 cm racemes. However, its main attraction is in autumn and early winter, when the sizeable bunches of dazzling red berries, which are not edible, become extremely conspicuous as they have twined through the now leafless hedges. So do not consume any part of this plant! An unusual, and most attractive British native, it has an unusual growth habit in that it climbs through the hedgerow like a vine, vigorously weaving its beady tendrils clad in heart-shaped leaves indiscriminately. It is uncommon in the North of England and very rare in Scotland, it belongs to the mainly tropical yam family, Dioscoreaceae.