Belladonna, Official (Atropa belladonna) seeds, organic
$4.95 – $20.00
Family: Nightshade (Solanacea)
Hardy to Zones 5 to 9
Herbaceous perennial. Native to Central and Southern Europe. Nodding, dark, bell-shaped flowers give way to large, soft, shining black berries—a very charming but insidious plant. Do not ingest. Traditional usage (TWM):mydriatic, muscle and nerve pain, motion sickness. Plant prefers partial to full shade, average fertility, moist soil. Sow in fall or early spring. Slow to germ. Some degree of cold conditioning usually helpful. Sow in shade or early spring greenhouse. Sprinkle seed on surface, barely cover, tamp securely, and keep evenly moist until germination, which can take weeks. Grow on for some time in pots before transplanting to the landscape. Educate children not to eat this plant. Space plants 2 feet apart. Grows to 5 feet tall, flowers purple.
1 g contains ~1,200 seeds
Elizabeth Purcell (verified owner) –
I did struggle to sprout these until it finally got HOT outside. I actually gave up on them but they sprouted sometime around the end of June! They are doing well. I don’t think they will be flowering this year so I hope they will survive the winter indoors and flower next year! I had about a 50% germination rate. I did not cold stratify these.
Edit: They’re flowering this year!
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64doors –
Last year this one struggled in the woods where I had it and then died off for winter, so I brought it in under a light. Ready to take it out again, she’s a big girl now.
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Richo Cech –
yes
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Question
Eimi (verified owner) –
Hi Richo, I’ve been struggling with keeping my belladonna alive for longer than 1 season. I am in zone 8b (central TX), and am growing them in pots and in ground. All my plants are in dappled sun and well-draining soil. But I keep having plants that just wilt and die in a matter of days. This happens to both plants in pots and in ground, and it generally happens during summer. The dying plants’ roots almost look like root rot, even though I’m super mindful of not overwatering. Some plants would grow nice and big, flowering and forming
fruits, then suddenly they wilt and die. I haven’t noticed any visible pests in roots. Do you have any suggestions, of what the problem might be? Is belladonna more prone to root rot than some other nightshades? Thank you much in advance!
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Richo Cech –
hello eimi, in an 8b it seems like belladonna should be in the full shade. i agree with you about fast-draining, had some literally making rhizomes in the creek gravel of the greenhouse floor and they expanded hugely that way. yes, they can get a kind of root rot. one possible fix would be to grow) the Atropa caucasica instead–it is very similar (some say a subspecies of the offical one) except it is more heat and drought tolerant. r
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Eimi (verified owner) –
Thank you for the suggestion! I’m actually about to purchase some A. caucasica seeds. I’ll certainly give those a try.
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Question
Meredith (verified owner) –
What is the best but also quickest way to cold treat belladonna before planting? I have read as little as two weeks and as much as a month in the refrigerator. Any suggestions on the best way to do this? Would putting them in the freezer speed up the stratification process?
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Richo Cech –
Hi Meredith and everyone, Please never freeze any of our seeds–it is a very fast way to damage them. In nature, seeds are in the soil strata when they freeze, and freezing and thawing occur slowly and at natural intervals. The home freezer is no substitute. I don’t think the ascribed cold treatment periods are usually critical. To cold stratify belladonna seeds before planting, put them in moist coir, peat or sand in a baggie in the fridge for a couple of weeks and then surface-sow and keep shaded and warm. We generally get good results just planting belladonna in a cool greenhouse in the fall or early spring. I think we still have plants for sale right now. They are worth it, they are nice. richo
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Dylan (verified owner) –
Does Belladonna need to be stratified before sowing or does it not?
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Richo Cech –
hi dylan, standard greenhouse or shadehouse culture seems to be adequate. cold conditioning and/or a willow tip tea soak will generally give faster results. r
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Sarah –
How long does it take to flower, once it’s germinated?
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Richo Cech –
hi sarah, as with most herbaceous perennials, full size and flowering is not achieved until the spring of the second year. richo
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Ashley –
How do you use this plant to treat nerve pain if you cannot ingest? Is there a special way to prepare?
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Richo Cech –
Hi Ashley, The traditional uses shown on the website shouldn’t really be interpreted as the way to use the herb now. Most herbalists these days don’t try to make belladonna salve–most of them use saint johns wort or skullcap, even wood betony, for nerve pain issues. I can’t in good conscience describe methods for converting potentially toxic plants into effective external embrocations–it is a better idea to use safer plants. Richo
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Richo Cech –
We did have shipping abroad until very recently when the EU changed its phytosanitary regulations. We still ship to Canada and other non-EU addresses.
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