Hi Ilijasx,Medicine Garden Australia have seeds listed,but I have not dealt with this company before.
cheers Kurt

Here is a link that might be useful: medicine garden australia

Check out the following sites. Mandrake has the reputation of being deadly poisonous, though just how deadly is a subject of debate. IMO, it's one herb you just don't want, regardless of the folklore attached to it. I draw no distinctions between 'a little bit deadly' and 'a whole lot deadly'.

http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/m/mandra10.html
http://gardenbed.com/m/2317.cfm

Has anyone seen the mandrake plants in the latest Harry Potter movie? It would be odd to have to wear ear muffs when repotting plants because the screaming could kill you!! As if we aren't warned already to wear protective clothing when using potting mix *grin*

Maryanne, saw the Harry Potter movie tonight.....what a funny scene that was!

Aaayyy carrumba!! Has anyone gone to the Medicine Garden Australia link above?

A packet of Mandrake seeds will set you back a mere, wait for it, $27.50. Bargain, hah?

Daisy(duckworth), you're absolutely right about mandrakes being poisonous. They're in the potato family, so it's big time toxic. I've got no intention of eating it at all, mind you. I just thought it'd be interesting to have something with so much lore and history in the garden.

Just a question: the plant itself doesn't really look like much, does it?

Ilijasx.

One of fascinating aspects of growing herbs is the folklore and superstitions associated with them. For example, elder trees have a long history in European witchcraft. One story is that you should not cut down or use any part of an elder without first apologizing to the tree or saying to the Elder Mother who lives inside the tree:

"Elder Mother, within the tree,
No disrespect, I mean to thee."

Gives new meaning to talking to plants, doesn't it?

There are many stories such as this and it might be interesting to start a separate thread so that other stories can be posted.

I am in the process of writing a book on the subject of the supersititions and folklore pertaining to herbs. It's a fascinating subject, and there's a lot of data, so I for one would appreciate any input! And Anna, when I prune my elder tree, I ALWAYS apologise to the Lady of the Elder - I'm not usually suspicious, but Lady Elder has quite a reputation, and it might pay to be careful....

Do not buy ANYTHING from medicine garden. They are extremely expensive and slow, if indeed they post at all. Try on the forums at www.shaman-australis.com the shop MIGHT sell them seasonally but i'm not sure
cheers

I wholeheartedly second Soilonthebrain about Medicine Garden, its like tossing your money into a black hole.
-------------------
The Elder tree rhyme that I know goes:

Old Lady of the Elder trees
Please give me some of your wood,
When I grow into a tree
You may have some of mine.
------------------
I think Mandrakes are fun and interesting, I've been growing them for several years.

The "cheapest" place to Mandragora officinarum/ officinalis/ officinale (which are all the same thing) that I've found is:
Horizon Herbs (USA) http://www.chatlink.com/~herbseed/
Mandrake is US$9.95 per packet of 13 seeds, although the postage is a killer.
The usual germination rate is less than 10%
Another seed source is B & T World Seeds (France) about 10 seeds for EU$18.00
http://www.b-and-t-world-seeds.com/homepage.htm

Womandrake - Mandragora autumnalis sometimes M. vernalis
Apparently has the same medicinal properties, has a slightly higher germination rate up to 15-20% and is much easier to grow.
Seeds are cheaper - US$4.95 for 20 seeds at Horizon herbs.
B & T World Seeds 1 packet (I don't know how many this contains) for EU$11.00 or 1g seed EU$33.00
Mandragora autumnalis plants are available from All Rare Herbs - at $19.95 (I think) email - mcplant@hotmail.com

Remember if you buy seeds overseas to check with ICON. ICON is the Australian Quarantine Inspection Services import conditions database. http://www.aqis.gov.au/icon32/asp/ex_querycontent.asp

Man and womandrakes are loved and eaten by slugs, snails, caterpillars, white fly and red spider mites here in Adelaide. They are VERY prone to root rot (even with our 410mm annual rainfall), usually from the crown down, if keep too damp or in too heavy a soil mix. They will also drop their leaves and go dormant if kept too dry.

Yes, this is a poisonous plant, it is also rare and endangered in its natural habitat, and while I don't recommend that you grow it in your veggie patch, to make a rule that it should not be grown because part of it is toxic would consign many plants commonly grown to oblivion eg daffodils (poisonous bulbs  cardiac glycosides), wisteria (seeds  convulsive poison), oleander (all of which poisonous  something like 10 leaves will kill a horse) and there are many others. This is not including plants like foxglove (Digitalis spp) and Monkshood (Aconitum spp) which are common cottage garden plants, both of which can make you ill just by handling them under perfect conditions.

The Solanaceae family has many toxic plants like henbane, belladonna and the like but also many that are not, tomatoes are only poisonous if you eat the leaves, potatoes if you eat the berries or green tubers, eggplant, capsicum not at all as far as I know, and people only think they've been poisoned by chillies. Of the other genus in this family Lycium sp are used in Chinese medicine, Pituri was traded across the continent by the Aborigines, and death by petunias seems...

Hello there. I am interested in obtaining any of the Mandragora species. Could anyone in Australia help me please. I collect rare plants, and shamefully the drought has killed many of my plants. Thanks.

shalom,
I jast finish harvesting the mandragora officinalis and I have planty of seeds if some body is intersted please contact me.
by happy!

I have recived some seeds of Mandragora officinalis from a friend, but I don't know anything about the plant. If anyone would like to swap some seeds of it with some rare hardy Geraniumseeds, I will be interested in a swap.

Mandrake is an old poison isn't it? What are the other classic poisons? "Nightshade"?

I know this is like over a year later, but if you're still interested in mandrakes, there is a website that sells seeds for 3.75 a packet. They are european mandrakes at www.richters.com.

Hi, glad you interested in this special plant. I put my seed straight into the ground @ about 1/8 to 1/4 inches, good seed will yield a sprout in about 7- 15 days. Many people say that cold stratification is necessary, but I don't think so, because weak seed I think doesn't sprout because of rot. The moisture of the soil should be moist but not soaking. I've sprouted in loose lumpy soil mixed with plenty of sand successfully and yielded a strong plant. I wouldn't use perlite [like I did] because when the root splits it may get caught in a crotch somewhere and make the plant uncomfortable, the roots tend to shift around. The sprout establishes rather stoutly and rises about 1/2 inch above the surface with 2 large, longish, pointed leaves. It is important not to let it get to hot in the sun or the sprout will burn up rather easily. A healthy plant will produce it's first sign of a new leaf in about 3 days after the sprout rises, even though you may have to look at it using magnification. At this stage the straight-root is already about 8 inches long so make sure you have it in a deep container. I find a container of 1 1/2' is perfect! maybe 8" at the top. The container doesnÂt have to be wide so much as deep. Don't sprout in containers less than 6" deep. The root doesn't split until at least after it's second dormancy period. No refrigeration is required when the plant is in it's dormancy cycle. When dormant, dig the plant carefully out of the soil and inspect it, trim the dead foliage back kind of like what the grocery store does with carrots. The foliage will grow back in the same nature of a carrot. Takes about 2 months here in Florida to see any growth. Also the foliage of a mature plant produces leaves that are easily 2' long making the plant have a diameter of 4'. Let me know of your success! or failure! I'm really interested........Jonathan (LEPROCY) Sabo.
ps. oh look up Genesis 30:14-16 & Songs Of Solomon 7:13; cool, peace-out!!

They would definitely not put that picture of a mandrake on Harry Potter!
Sincere thanks for your detailed advice. I have previously tried and failed to grow it due to absence of that information.
However I am not yet certain that the root is devoid of pharmacological activity.