Mandrake

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A **Mandrake**, also known as **Mandragora**, was a magical and sentient plant which had a root that looked like a human (like a baby when the plant is young, but maturing as the plant grows). When matured, its cry could be fatal to any person who heard it.Template:Plant

## Description and traits

> A hundred or so tufty little plants, purplish green in colour, were growing there in rows. They looked quite unremarkable to Harry, who didn't have the slightest idea what Hermione meant by the 'cry' of the Mandrake.
>
> Harry Potter's perception of Mandrakes in a Herbology lesson, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Whenever unearthed, the root screamed. The scream of a mature Mandrake when it was unearthed was powerful enough to break glass and would kill any person who hears it, but a young Mandrake's screams would usually only knock a person out for several hours. They stopped screaming once they were replanted in the soil. When Hogwarts students studied Mandrakes in Herbology class, Professor ***Pomona Sprout*** had her students wear earmuffs to protect their ears from the Mandrake's cries. Professor ***Mirabel Garlick*** had her students put ***cotton*** in their ears in the late ***19th century***.

Mandrakes not only resembled humans, but also had similar behaviours to them. In the 1992–1993 school year at Hogwarts, the school's Mandrakes, at one point of time, became moody and secretive, which indicated that they were reaching adolescence. Later on, they threw a loud and raucous party, which was comparable to humans when they are teenagers, which made Professor Sprout very happy indeed. ***Madam Pomfrey*** also mentioned the Mandrakes having ***acne***. Mandrakes were fully matured when they started moving into each others' pots.

When matured, Mandrake roots could be cut up to serve as a prime ingredient for the ***Mandrake Restorative Draught***, which was used to return those who have been transfigured, cursed or Petrified back to their rightful state. ***Stewed Mandrake*** was used in ***potion-making***, forming an essential part of most antidotes. Their ***leaves*** were also used in potions as well, including the potion used in the process of becoming an Animagus.

The ***Dugbog***'s favourite food was Mandrake, which led to Mandrake-growers finding nothing but a bloody mess when pulling their plants out of the ground. ***Flesh-Eating Slugs*** were known to favour eating Mandrakes as well.

## History

> We will be able to cure her, Argus. Professor Sprout recently managed to procure some Mandrakes. As soon as they have reached their full size, I will have a potion made that will revive Mrs Norris.
>
> Albus Dumbledore reassuring Argus Filch after his cat was petrified, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Several deaths have occurred through exposure to Mandrakes. Before ***1890***, ***someone*** died in ***Dogweed and Deathcap*** after knocking over a Mandrake. Just over a century later, ***Minister for Magic*** ***Venusia Crickerly*** died in ***1912***, following a freak Mandrake-related gardening accident. Furthermore, the ***Sunday edition*** of ***The New York Ghost*** published on ***28 November*** ***1926*** reported a Mandrake attack on a ***Herbologist***.

 File:Professor Sprout holding a Mandrake in Greenhouse Three COSF.jpg
Mandrakes were part of the second and ***third-year*** Herbology curriculum at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, taught by Professor ***Pomona Sprout***. Mandrakes were revised again in the ***fifth year*** for students' ***Ordinary Wizarding Levels***. During the ***1986–1987 school year*** at Hogwarts, Professor Sprout taught third year students in Herbology how to handle Mandrakes.
Also during the 1986–1987 school year, ***Jacob's sibling*** and ***Penny Haywood*** found a hidden ***Chocolate Frog Card*** buried in the soil of a potted baby Mandrake in the ***Herbology Classroom***, which Penny uprooted after borrowing some earmuffs from Professor Sprout, with Jacob's sibling collecting the card.
During the ***1988–1989 school year*** at Hogwarts, ***Jacob's sibling*** and ***Liz Tuttle*** helped Professor Sprout spraying ***Flesh-Eating Slug Repellent*** on Mandrakes to prevent ***slugs*** from eating them. Later in the school year, first-year students learnt about Mandrakes presumably in Herbology class, but some of them neglected to use their earmuffs, making it necessary for them to be treated by ***Madam Pomfrey*** in the Hospital Wing. Jacob's sibling helped her take care of them.

 File:Harry and Ron handling Mandrakes in Herbology COSF.png
At the start of the 1992–1993 school year, Professor Sprout taught second-year Gryffindor and Hufflepuff students in class how to properly repot baby Mandrakes. Hermione Granger impressed Professor Sprout with her knowledge of the Mandrake's properties, earning her house points for her house Gryffindor. During this school year, the school's growth of Mandrakes served the additional purpose of making the ***Mandrake Restorative Draught***, in order to revive all those who had been petrified during the Chamber of Secrets openings.
During the ***Battle of Hogwarts***, ***Professor Sprout***, Neville Longbottom and other students lobbed Mandrakes over the Castle's battlements to attack the ***Death Eaters***.
During the ***Calamity*** which affected the wizarding world in the ***2010s***, Mandrakes were amongst the various magical items caught up as ***Foundables*** which had to be dealt with by members of the ***Statute of Secrecy Task Force***.

## Etymology

*Mandrake* is from late Old English *mandragora*, that had the ***dragon***-related description replaced with native *drake*.
*Mandragora*, other than referring to the plant, could also mean "a kind of tiny dragon immune to fire". It is from the ***Latin*** *mandragorās*, which is from Ancient Greek μανδραγόρας (translit. *mandragóras*), associating with the Old ***Persian*** word *merdum gija* meaning "plant of humans".

## Behind the scenes

 File:Mandrake 2.jpg
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* A Mandrake's scream was very similar to (if not the same as) a ***banshee***'s scream, which was also fatal.
* ***Mandrake Mufflers***, a shop located in ***Diagon Alley North Side***, is presumably one of the places for individuals to purchase earmuffs for the occasion.
* In Template:COS, Mandrakes were also capable of biting people if they put fingers close to their mouths, as Draco Malfoy learned the hard way (it is also worth noting that Slytherins did not have Herbology lessons with Gryffindors in the 1992–1993 school year).
* In the real world:
	+ The (***European***) Mandrake plant has been used since ***ancient times*** as a medicinal plant and has a tradition associated with magical activities and witchcraft. It is a member of the nightshade family. It contains hyoscyamine, scopolamine, and mandragorin. Medically, it has been used as a pain killer and a sedative. It was used in ancient times for surgery. An overdose, though, can be fatal. Because of its roots' shapes resembling humans, it has been used in magical operations, and as a supposed aphrodisiac.
	+ There are variations on the plant, *Mandragora Offininarum* being the most usual form, with the smaller *Mandragora autumnalis* having the same properties.
		- Some folk traditions call the *M. autumnalis* variety as "Womandrake" in distinction to *M. Officinarum* as "Mandrake".
	+ In the Western Hemisphere, another plant, *Podophyllum petaltum*, is called the American Mandrake. The American Mandrake is unrelated to the European variety, and has fewer medical applications. It, too, is poisonous.

## Appearances

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## Notes and references

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