Belladonna

It occurs in the form of individuals and can be found in various places on Mount Paggaio, mainly in cool and shady places, such as the beech forest edges. However, its altitudinal range is relatively large as it can be found both at low altitudes (mainly in deciduous forests, such as oak forests) and at high altitudes (beech forests).

Perennial herbaceous plant that reaches a height of 150 cm, with strong, smelly, multi-branched, green or reddish shoot. The leaves are ovate with an acute apex and the flowers, single or in pairs, are reddish brown and bell-shaped. Flowering occurs between May and August. The fruit, like a grape, is spherical, shiny, black and highly poisonous. Plant known since antiquity. It was used as an herbal medicine (painkiller, muscle relaxant, anti-inflammatory, peptic ulcer, histamine reaction and motion sickness), as a strong poison and as a cosmetic. Dangerous for children, deadly to eat a few fruits, which look like black cherries or blueberries and have an attractive taste. The name Atropos is associated with the Fate of Greek mythology, which cut the thread of human life with its terrible scissors without any hesitation. The plant of course does not have scissors but strong deadly alkaloids (atropine, hyoscyamine and bellantonin). Its consumption leads to hallucinations, creates unpleasant illusions, disrupts memory and can lead to serious confusion. In Great Britain, they attributed supernatural properties to the plant or associated it with a large number of superstitions. Some want it to be the devil’s favorite plant, others to be used by witches as medicine or poison, or to be the means of transforming its eaters into furry animals, having the ability to see ghosts or leading them to irresponsible sexual behavior, which gave it in the Middle Ages, a great reputation as an aphrodisiac. Alkaloids derived mainly from the leaves of the plant have soothing, antispasmodic and mydrifying properties. The last property, the enlargement of the pupil of the eye, gives the ophthalmologist the convenience of dredging the eye. In previous centuries, it was used by women to dilate their pupil for aesthetic reasons (impressive look), which gave it the name belladonna (beautiful woman).

Due to the small number of sites in which the species has been recorded and due to the small number of plants recorded in them, various random factors could lead to a decrease in its populations. In particular, the construction or widening of roads, as well as the felling of trees in the areas where the species is found could reduce the number of plants of the species in Paggaio.

It is included in the table of Presidential Decree 67/81 (F.E.K. 23 / A / 30-01-1981.

It is included in the table of Presidential Decree 67/81 (F.E.K. 23 / A / 30-01-1981) “On the protection of native flora and fauna and the definition of a procedure for coordination and control of their research”.