ENCHANTER'S NIGHTSHADE
COMMON ENCHANTER'S NIGHTSHADE
Circaea lutetiana
Willowherb Family [Onagraceae] 
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Willowherb Family [Onagraceae]
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status
flower
inner
morph
petals
(4)petals
type
stem
toxicity
sex
_2019_07_26_29)_StairHut_LuptonFamily_061p98.jpg)
| 27th July 2019, open woods, Stair, Newlands Valley, 3m SW of Keswick. | Photo: © RWD |
| Likes semi-shady places, like open woods or hedgerows, where it will spread like billy-o. |
_2019_07_26_29)_StairHut_LuptonFamily_060p68.jpg)
| 27th July 2019, open woods, Stair, Newlands Valley, 3m SW of Keswick. | Photo: © RWD |
| The plant grows to 60cm high but here it is much shorter. |
_2011_08_17_Lancaster_canal_GlassonDocks_rly_circ_044p2.jpg)
| 17th Aug 2011, Lancaster Canal, nr. Aldcliffe. | Photo: © RWD |
| Growing right next to the canal. |
_2020_06_22_Home_EngineFold_Walkden_circ_053p77.jpg)
| 22nd June 2020, disused railway bridge, Walkden, Gtr M/cr. | Photo: © RWD |
| This much smaller patch beneath a disused railway bridge (now a waling route) in amongst the ballast is taller than those at Stair. |
_2019_07_26_29)_StairHut_LuptonFamily_065branched.jpg)
| 27th July 2019, open woods, Stair, Newlands Valley, 3m SW of Keswick. | Photo: © RWD |
| This specimen widely branched. |
_2011_08_17_Lancaster_canal_GlassonDocks_rly_circ_043p1.jpg)
| 17th Aug 2011, Lancaster Canal, nr. Aldcliffe. | Photo: © RWD |
_2020_07_19_Home_NobEnd_Ringley_circ_139p9.jpg)
| 19th July 2020, Nob End SSSI, Bolton, Gtr M/cr. | Photo: © RWD |
| The leaves are truncate to only weakly cordate at their base, The leaf tips are acuminate at the apex (have a long taper to a point at the tip) |
_2020_07_19_Home_NobEnd_Ringley_circ_139p765.jpg)
| 19th July 2020, Nob End SSSI, Bolton, Gtr M/cr. | Photo: © RWD |
| The leaf edges nearer the tip are weakly scalloped (aka crenate) |
_2019_07_26_29)_StairHut_LuptonFamily_062p72.jpg)
| 27th July 2019, open woods, Stair, Newlands Valley, 3m SW of Keswick. | Photo: © RWD |
| The Enchanters's-nightshade plants spread by underground rhizomes. |
_2020_06_22_Home_EngineFold_Walkden_circ_055p28.jpg)
| 22nd June 2020, disused railway bridge, Walkden, Gtr M/cr. | Photo: © RWD |
| The flowers, which are small, are on long and thin, on alternate stalks which are usually angled at a 45° degree angle downwards, but those nearer the top may be either horizontal or even upwardly directed (it might be an effect of gravity as the flowers get larger?). The two green sepals are directed backwards from the 2 petals. |
_2019_07_26_29)_StairHut_LuptonFamily_072p84.jpg)
| 27th July 2019, open woods, Stair, Newlands Valley, 3m SW of Keswick. | Photo: © RWD |
| Sometimes the white petalled flowers may have red tips. |
_2019_07_26_29)_StairHut_LuptonFamily_085p68.jpg)
| 27th July 2019, open woods, Stair, Newlands Valley, 3m SW of Keswick. | Photo: © RWD |
| The two petals are deeply notched sometimes giving the appearance of 4 petals. |
_2019_07_26_29)_StairHut_LuptonFamily_072p848.jpg)
| 27th July 2019, open woods, Stair, Newlands Valley, 3m SW of Keswick. | Photo: © RWD |
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The flowers have two splayed white filamens each supporting a small off-white anther. Between the splayed anthers is a solitary style with a small, slightly pink stigma.
The two green sepal cups with reddish tips are splayed backwards. A short distance behind the sepals is a very hairy green ovary. The hairs are hooked at their tips, presumably to help them spread on animals fur. Whereas the hairs on both the main stem and the flower stalks are shorter and straight but seem to be glandular-tipped. |
_2020_07_19_NobEnd_SSSI_611p88.jpg)
| 19th July 2020, Nob End SSSI, Bolton, Gtr M/cr. | Photo: © RWD |
| The flowers are at first encased by two long, green sepal cups which will later open and splay backwards. |
_2019_07_26_29)_StairHut_LuptonFamily_081p38.jpg)
| 27th July 2019, open woods, Stair, Newlands Valley, 3m SW of Keswick. | Photo: © RWD |
| The hooked hairs on the ovary are to help the more widespread spreading of the plant as tgey attach themselves to the fur of passing animals when they brush passed them. |
_2015_07_17_Greenside_GlenriddingHut_549p8.jpg)
| 17th July 2015, Greenside Hut, Glenridding, Cumbria. | Photo: © RWD |
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The two anthers far right sandwiched by a pinkish 2-forked stigma.
The glandular hairs on the stem. |
_2020_07_19_NobEnd_SSSI_609p55.jpg)
| 19th July 2020, Nob End SSSI, Bolton, Gtr M/cr. | Photo: © RWD |
| Two older, now fawn-coloured anthers with a pinkish style between them. |
_2020_07_19_NobEnd_SSSI_617.jpg)
| 19th July 2020, Nob End SSSI, Bolton, Gtr M/cr. | Photo: © RWD |
| The green object deep in the centre of the flower is a nectafarious disc, bearing nectar. Reddish two-pronged stigma on right. |
_2015_07_17_Greenside_GlenriddingHut_561p34.jpg)
| 17th July 2015, Greenside Hut, Glenridding, Cumbria. | Photo: © RWD |
| Green nectafarious disc bearing nectar, from which the pinkish style with two splayed stigmas atop emerge. Reddish two-pronged stigma atop the style on right. |
_2015_07_17_Greenside_GlenriddingHut_557p23.jpg)
| 17th July 2015, Greenside Hut, Glenridding, Cumbria. | Photo: © RWD |
| The hooked hairs on the ovary. Perhaps the much shorter hairs on on the sepals have extremely tiny T-bar hooks at their very tip(?). |
_2020_07_19_Home_NobEnd_Ringley_circ_140p77.jpg)
| 19th July 2020, Nob End SSSI, Bolton, Gtr M/cr. | Photo: © RWD |
| The plant before it is ripe, no flowers yet. |
_2020_07_19_Home_NobEnd_Ringley_circ_140p7788.jpg)
| 19th July 2020, Nob End SSSI, Bolton, Gtr M/cr. | Photo: © RWD |
| Hooked hairs (left); T-bar(?) hairs on the stem. |
_2019_07_26_29)_StairHut_LuptonFamily_068_hooked.jpg)
| 27th July 2019, open woods, Stair, Newlands Valley, 3m SW of Keswick. | Photo: © RWD |
| The hooked hairs. |
_2015_07_17_Greenside_GlenriddingHut_549p99.jpg)
| 17th July 2015, Greenside Hut, Glenridding, Cumbria. | Photo: © RWD |
| The T-bar(?) hairs on the stem. |
_2017_07_04_Buxton_Grinlowtower_circ_[botanising]_073p2.jpg)
| 4th July 2017, Grinlow Tower, nr Buxton, Derbys. | Photo: © RWD |
| Flowers yet to open. |
_2017_07_04_Buxton_Grinlowtower_circ_[botanising]_076p3.jpg)
| 4th July 2017, Grinlow Tower, nr Buxton, Derbys. | Photo: © RWD |
| The leaves of Common Enchanter's-nightshade are either truncate or only weakly cordate. |
_2017_07_04_Buxton_Grinlowtower_circ_[botanising]_071p1.jpg)
| 4th July 2017, Grinlow Tower, nr Buxton, Derbys. | Photo: © RWD |
| The leaves of Common Enchanter's-nightshade. |
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Hybridizes with :
Not to be confused with other plants which have 'Nightshade' as part of their common name, such as:
Deadly Nightshade (Atropa belladonna),
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 Circaea
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lutetiana
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⇐ Global Aspect ⇒ |
Onagraceae
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 Circaea (Enchanter's Nightshades) |
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Willowherb Family [Onagraceae]
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BSBI maps