Mandragora officinarum: 3 mandrake seeds
The mandrake is a perennial from the Mediterranean that forms virtually no stem. Its large, wavy leaves lie in a rosette flat against the ground, with bell-shaped flowers rising from the leaf axils between them. Round berries follow the flowers and ripen to yellow or orange. Below ground sits the part the plant owes its reputation to: a thick taproot that often divides and can end up resembling a human figure. That shape is the source of every tale about a root said to scream when it is pulled from the soil. Note that the photo shows such a mature root; what you order here is three seeds, not a plant and not a root.
Botanically the mandrake belongs to the nightshade family, in the company of henbane, datura and deadly nightshade. Linnaeus described the species in Species Plantarum in 1753, and like its relatives it contains tropane alkaloids, among them atropine, hyoscyamine and scopolamine. Every part of the plant is therefore toxic. Old herbals and folk stories mention the mandrake again and again, and it is exactly that history that makes the plant interesting to collectors, botanical gardens and anyone drawn to historical flora.
Sowing mandrake
- Give the seeds a cold period first: one to three months in moist sand in the fridge, or sow outdoors in autumn and let winter do the work.
- Then sow about a centimetre deep in free-draining soil that is slightly acidic to neutral.
- Keep the pot warm and bright, around twenty degrees, with the soil moist but never soaked.
- Be patient: mandrake seed germinates irregularly and can take many months.
- Use a deep pot, because the taproot grows straight down and needs the room.
The plant takes cold remarkably well, but heat combined with fierce sun far less so. Never let the soil dry out completely, since a mandrake recovers poorly from that. Wear gloves when handling seed or plant, wash your hands afterwards and keep everything out of reach of children and pets. These seeds are meant for study and cultivation, not for consumption; do check whether the plant may be grown freely in your region.
More exotic seeds at Avalon
The same category at Avalon Magic Plants holds Hyoscyamus niger (henbane), Nelumbo nucifera (lotus), Papaver rhoeas (red poppy), Salvia apiana (white sage), Lactuca virosa (wild lettuce) and Leonurus cardiaca (motherwort), among others. Every order leaves our warehouse discreetly packed.
