Climbers🌿 Native to the NetherlandsVery hardy — tolerates frost down to -20°C

White Bryony

Name: White Bryony (Bryonia dioica)
Brand: HSMN Planten
SKU: 6a5f7d2789ab4f149f0ea944
Price: 22.50 EUR
Availability: BackOrder

Bryonia dioica

From€22.50incl. VAT

Select a size to order

Choose a size

White Bryony (Bryonia dioica) is an originally native, perennial climbing plant found in hedgerows, thickets, woodland edges, roadsides, embankments, coastal dunes, rough terrain, and orchards. The plant climbs through shrubs and hedges using spiral tendrils and regrows each year from a thick rootstock. From June to September, White Bryony blooms with greenish-white to yellowish-white flowers. The species is dioecious, meaning male and female flowers typically occur on separate plants. Female plants produce red berries after flowering. White Bryony thrives in warm, dry, calcareous, and well-drained soil. It is well-suited for natural hedges, rugged woodland margins, calcareous thickets, dune scrub, and ecological climbing plant arrangements.

Year calendar

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
🌸Blooms
🐝Provides nectar
🍓Bears fruit
🍂Has autumn colour

Pruning period

✂️Best pruning period: Jan, Feb, Mar, Nov, Dec

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
✂️ Pruning period

Best pruning period

White Bryony can be pruned back during winter dormancy once the stems have died off. Remove excess tendrils to manage its growth within hedges and thickets.

Botanical profile

Site & soil

Sun, Half shade

Soil type: Clay, Sand, Loam

Moisture need: Dry, Moderately moist

pH: Neutral (6.5–7.5), Chalky (>7.5), Slightly acidic (5.5–6.5)

Nutrient richness: Nutrient-poor, Moderately nutrient-rich

Humus content: Moderately humus-rich, Humus-poor

Water drainage: Strongly draining, Well draining

Appearance & season

Mature height: 200-500cm

Bloom: May-Aug

Autumn colour: No notable autumn color. The above-ground parts die back in winter; the plant resprouts from the rootstock in spring.

Properties

Salt sensitive: No

Edible: No

Scent: The flowers do not have a strong or distinct scent. White Bryony primarily attracts insects via nectar and pollen in its small, greenish-white flowers.

Ecological value

White Bryony is ecologically valuable for bees and other flower visitors. The flowers provide nectar and pollen, attracting a variety of insects. Of particular note is its relationship with the Bryony Mining Bee (Andrena florea), a wild bee species that is highly dependent on White Bryony for pollen. Its climbing habit provides additional structure in hedgerows, rough terrain, and thickets. The red berries are toxic to humans, but the plant contributes significantly to natural scrub formation and insect life. White Bryony is especially valuable in calcareous, warm, and rugged native plantings.

Food web & Biodiversity

🐛 Caterpillars & mothsVery useful

🐝 Bees & bumblebeesExtremely useful

🪰 HoverfliesUseful

🦋 ButterfliesVery useful

🪲 Beetles & insectsVery useful

🐦 BirdsVery useful

🐿️ MammalsVery useful

🐞 Other animalsUseful

White Bryony is primarily valuable as a native climber for hedges, woodland edges, and calcareous thickets. The plant is important for flower visitors and shares a specialized relationship with the Bryony Mining Bee.

Distribution in the Netherlands