Bryonia syriaca, Syrian Bryony,
Hebrew: דלעת-נחש סורית, Arabic: عنب السحلية , عنب الحية

Scientific name:		Bryonia syriaca Boiss.
Common name:		Syrian Bryony
Hebrew name:		דלעת-נחש סורית
Arabic name:		عنب السحلية , عنب الحية
Plant Family:		Cucurbitaceae, דלועיים

Life form:		Hemicryptophyte, vine
Stems:		Perennial roots
Leaves:		Alternate, simple, dentate or serrate leaves
Flowers:		White, yellow, green
Fruits / pods:		Berries, spherical, up to one centimeter in diameter
Flowering Period:		January, February, March, April, December
Habitat:		Heavy soils
Distribution:		Mediterranean Woodlands and Shrublands, Semi-steppe shrublands
Chorotype:		Mediterranean
Summer shedding:		Ephemeral

Derivation of the botanical name: Bryonia, according to Pliny (Book XXIII 21-28) the name Bryonia stems from the Greek bryo and bryéin, which mean «to grow» or «to sprout lushly» and which refer to the stalks that sprout rapidly and numerously from the root stock. syriaca, Syrian. The standard author abbreviation Boiss. is used to indicate Pierre Edmond Boissier (1810–1885), a Swiss botanist, explorer and mathematician. All species of Bryonia are pollinated by pollen- and nectar-gathering bees, and the fruits are berries that are dispersed by birds.