Black Bryony - Dioscorea communis

Twining hairless plant to 4 metres. Leaves stalked, heart shaped and bright shiny green. Flowers greenish yellow tiny 3 to 6 mm the female in small clusters the male in long slender racemes. Fruit a bright shiny red fleshy poisonous berry.

Wood, scrub and hedgerows.

May to August. The berries often persist into early winter.

Perennial.

Common throughout much of Britain.

Quite common in Leicestershire and Rutland. In the 1979 Flora survey of Leicestershire it was found in 507 of the 617 tetrads.