Hyoscyamus Niger Henbane Summer Flower
The fact that witches could fly off on their broomsticks was due to henbane, or so it was thought at one time. This indigenous plant certainly contains hallucinogenic substances, which, furthermore, are extremely toxic. That may explain why it is rarely seen in flower gardens today.
It is a pity, because henbane has a very special aura and is highly suitable for a natural garden. Sow the seed in nutritive soil in an open spot in early spring and, if you are lucky, you will be able to enjoy looking at the remarkable flowers in late summer. If not, they will flower from June onwards the following summer. The flowers are about 1V4 in wide and are a pale, indeterminate color, criss-crossed with a network of deep-purple veins. They flower right through the summer until well into autumn, by which time the plants will have grown to about 32 in in height.
By then, swollen fruits will be attached in a row to the stems and, in a strong wind, they will burst open to disperse the seed. You can pick the stems before the storm and dry them so that you will be able to enjoy looking at the fruits of the mysterious plant throughout the winter.
Henbane (Hyoscyamus niger), also known as stinking nightshade, is a plant of the family Solanaceae that originated in Eurasia, though it is now globally distributed. Henbane can be toxic, even fatal, to animals in low doses. Its name dates at least to 1265. The origins of the word are unclear but “hen” probably originally meant death rather than referring to chickens. Hyoscyamine, scopolamine, and other tropane alkaloids have been found in the foliage and seeds of the plant. Common effects of henbane ingestion in humans include hallucinations, dilated pupils, restlessness, and flushed skin. Less common symptoms such as tachycardia, convulsions, vomiting, hypertension, hyperpyrexia and ataxia have all been noted. Henbane or Hyoscyamus was also known to have been used as an anesthetic in the first Arab hospitals.