Mandragora officinarum Mandrake
So are the tales about this mysterious plant true or is it all mythological claptrap? We had to find out so one of our party bravely attempted to dig it up. The plant let out a blood curdling scream which immediately killed my companion but owing to my usually annoying deafness I was immune from the curse of the Mandrake. We had to leave him there of course. He should have followed the advice and allowed his dog to dig up the plant. The dog would have died instead of him so the advice goes, but better the loyal canine than the man himself.
The root of this plant is similar to a Parsnip but can grow to look like a man which is the main reason for the tales which surround it and of course that being a member of the Solanaceae it contains toxins which have allowed various medicinal uses for the plant through the ages.
Yes but did it really happen like that? Is my friends corpse lying rotting on a hill in Anatolia surrounded by feasting Mandrake plants? No sorry, it's all utter bunkum so apologies to Harry Potter fans for any disappointment caused.
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| Mandragora officinarum Mandrake |
Mountains behind Finike, Turkey 3rd April 2015
Added on 22nd April 2015