Mandrake (Mancragora officinarum) root. The mandrake is a native European perennial, once widely used for its medicinal and narcotic properties. The m

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Mandrake (Mancragora officinarum) root. The mandrake is a native European perennial, once widely used for its medicinal and narcotic properties. The main taproot was thought to look like a human figure, with divisions in the root resembling limbs. According to folklore the plant emitted a piercing shriek when uprooted, killing anyone who heard it. Illustration from a copy of 'De Materia Medica' by the Greek physician Dioscorides made in 1460 and owned by Sir Joseph Banks.

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Size: 2395px × 3648px
Photo credit: © NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM, LONDON/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: 1460, artwork, banks, biological, biology, botanical, botany, de, dioscorides, drawing, flora, folklore, greek, human, illustration, joseph, mancragora, mandrake, materia, medica, medical, medicinal, medicine, mythology, narcotic, nature, officinarum, people, perennial, person, root, sir, taproot