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Solanaceae
Black Henbane
Hyoscyamus niger
Dark enchantment.
- Family
- Solanaceae
- Genus
- Hyoscyamus
- Native to
- Europe, Western Asia, North Africa
- Bloom season
- Summer
- Type
- annual or biennial
- Height
- 1-3 ft
- Sunlight
- full sun
- Soil
- Dry, sandy, well-drained soil
- Water
- low
- Hardiness
- 4-8
- Lifespan
- biennial
Did you know
- Henbane was one of the key ingredients in the legendary 'witches' flying ointment' of the Middle Ages.
- Shakespeare referenced henbane as the poison used to murder Hamlet's father.
- The plant contains tropane alkaloids including scopolamine, used today in motion sickness patches.
- Ancient Greek oracles at Delphi may have inhaled henbane smoke to induce prophetic trances.
- Despite its toxicity, it was widely used as a painkiller and sedative before modern anesthesia.
Color meanings
0
imperfection
1
deception