bryony (BRAI-uh-nee) - n., any of various Eurasian tendril-bearing vines of the genus Bryonia having red or black berries and tuberous roots; a similar-looking but unrelated plant, black bryony (Dioscorea communis), also with red berries and tuberous roots.
Of the "regular" bryonies, the most common species are white bryony (B. alba) and red bryony (B. dioica, also sometimes also called white bryony). All these are poisonous, but if dosed carefully white bryony can be used medicinally as an emetic and purgative. The name goes back to Old English, from Latin bryōnia, from Ancient Greek bruōnía, the same plant, from bruein, to swell.
A White Bryony Fairy:
A Black Bryony Fairy:
Click through for bigger images and accompanying poems. Bryony was, BTW, a popular European female given name in the 18th century.
---L.
