ATROPA BELLADONNA

Description

Purple-green bell flowers, (resembling an ancient nightshade) are deep purple inside, and hang on thick stems bearing soft leaves. Later appear the juicy, shiny, black berries. But be warned, its common name is true and appropriate. It was derived from the fact that in ancient times women would put tinctures of the berry juice into their eyes to dilate the pupils to 'make them appear more beautiful': BELLA DONNA = BEAUTIFUL LADY! All parts of this plant are extremely poisonous, producing the drug atropine, (and also scopolamine) so do not ever grow this plant where children have access to it when it is in fruit.

Sowing Advice

For best results, sow immediately onto a good soil-based compost. Cover the seeds with fine grit or compost to approximately their own depth. They can be sown at any time, and germination can sometimes be quicker if kept at 15 to 20 degrees C. We sow most seeds in an unheated greenhouse and wait for natural germination, as many seeds have built-in dormancy mechanisms, often waiting for natural spring germination, hence giving them a full season of growth.

Key Facts