Enchanter's nightshade, Circaea lutetiana, Onagraceae
Enchanter's nightshade Circaea lutetiana Onagraceae Ashridge Woods. Enchanter's nightshade is a common plant of moist and shady woodland habitats although it also readily colonises cultivated ground It spreads rapidly by means of long rhizomes horizontal underground stems. It has opposing oval leaves and the white flower is made up of two deeply notched petals. The flowers are held on a long spike well above the leaves It produces small round hairy fruits borne in herring bone pattern along the spike. The large and strange looking caterpillars of the elephant hawk moth feed on this species. The enchanter in question is Circe the witch, whose spells turned the shipmates of Ulysses into pigs. This was the plant she was alleged to have used. This myth is also reflected in the Circaea of the botanical name.
Size: 3414px × 5121px
Location: UK
Photo credit: © Florapix / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
Keywords: ashridge, botanical, botany, british, circaea, common, cultivated, deeply, enchanters, flora, florapix, flower, ground, habitat, leaves, lutetiana, moist, natural, nature, nightshade, notched, onagraceae, petals, plant, raceme, shady, spike, stem, uk, white, wild, woodland, woods
