DESCRIPTION: Up to 3m in height.  A straggling twisting climber that is both subtle and easily overlooked.  The stems hold spirally arranged glossy heart-shaped leaves that are up to 8cm long and small green six-petalled flowers that reach a maximum width of 6mm. The male flowers are produced in slender 5–10 cm racemes with the female flowers borne in shorter clusters. Shiny red berries are produced in late summer and early autumn. The entire plant grows from a large tuber that is as poisonous as the rest of the plant. DISTRIBUTION: Found primarily in England and Wales with scattered records elsewhere. HABITAT: Hedgerows, woodlands. farmland and the edges of meadows. FLOWERING TIME: May to October. EXTRA NOTES: All components of the black bryony plant, including the tubers, are poisonous due to saponin content. Calcium oxalate deposits and histamines found in the berry juice and rhizomes are thought to contribute to skin irritation and contact dermatitis.