black briony, in botany: A genus of plants belonging to the clas of dioica, and order of hexandria; and in the natural system ranging under the 11th order, Sarmenataceae. The male and female flowers are both sepaxtate; there is no corolla; the style is trifid; the berry is trilocular and inferior, and contains two seeds. There are only two species known; the elephantipes, which is a native of the Cape of Good Hope, and we believe was first described by L'Heritier; and the communis.

The communis, or common black briony, is a native of England, but has not been observed growing wild in Scotland. It has a large root, which sends forth several long slender stems; the leaves are large, heart-shaped, dark green, and grow on long footstalks; the flowers are greenish, and the berry red. It flowers from May to August, and is frequent in hedges.