henbane

Poisonous Plant

Hyoscyamus niger, also known as Henbane, is an annual or biennial herb native to the Eurasian continent, belonging to the Solanaceae family and Hyoscyamus genus. It is not commonly grown but prefers sunny, well-drained, fertile soil. Known as 'witch's herb' and 'henbane' in English, it is cultivated only in limited areas in Japan, making it a rather unfamiliar plant.

The plant grows to a height of 0.5 to 1 meter. It has sticky glandular hairs on the entire plant, giving it a distinctive odor. The leaves are without petioles, ovate in shape, 20 to 30 cm long, shallowly pinnatifid with prominent white midribs, wavy margins, alternately arranged on the stem, and clasping the stem.

From May to July, flowers bloom from the leaf axils at the tips of the flowering stems, with several flowers per axil, each 2 to 4 cm in diameter. The flowers hang down while in bud and turn sideways after blooming. The corolla is bell-tubular or funnel-shaped with a five-lobed tip. The petals are grayish-yellow with dark purple at the base, and dark purple veins forming a reticulate pattern on the petals. The pistil is purple with a milky white stigma, and the anthers around the pistil are white and purple.

In autumn, it produces long oval capsules covered by the calyx, containing gray-brown seeds.

Poisonous Plant
The entire plant contains toxic compounds such as hyoscyamine and scopolamine. Ingesting these substances can cause hallucinations, dilated pupils, dry mouth, increased heart rate, respiratory distress, and, in severe cases, death. Due to its potent toxicity, it is cultivated as a medicinal plant for producing pain relievers such as atropine sulfate and scopolamine hydrobromide. The medicinal parts are the leaves and seeds.

Origin of the Flower Name
The Japanese name 'Hiyos' is derived from the first four letters of the genus name 'Hyoscyamus'. The genus name 'Hyoscyamus' means 'pig bean' in Latin, and the species name 'niger' means 'black'.

Flower Language
Imperfect

Common Name: Hyoscyamus niger
Scientific Name: Hyoscyamus niger L.
Other Names: 'Witch's Herb'
Aka: Henbane
Classification: Kingdom: Plantae, Division: Angiosperms, Class: Eudicots, Order: Solanales, Family: Solanaceae, Genus: Hyoscyamus, Species: H. niger
Origin: Eurasian Continent
Life Cycle: Annual/Biennial Herb
Plant Height: 0.5–1 m
Leaf Shape: Ovate with shallow pinnate lobes
Leaf Arrangement: Alternate
Leaf Blade Length: 20–30 cm
Leaf Margin: Wavy
Petiole: Absent
Leaf Attachment: Clasping the stem
Flower Location: Leaf Axils
Blooming Period: May to July
Flower Shape: Bell-tubular/Funnel-shaped with five-lobed tips
Flower Diameter: 2–4 cm
Flower Orientation: Sideways
Flower Color: Grayish-yellow petals with dark purple base and dark purple veins on the petals
Fruiting Period: Autumn
Fruit: Enclosed in a calyx
Fruit Shape: Oblong
Fruit Type: Capsule
Seed Color: Gray-brown
Remarks: The entire plant contains hyoscyamine, which can cause hallucinations and other severe toxic effects. This toxicity has been used for many years in anesthetics.

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Hyoscyamus niger
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