25 Wizarding World Plants and Fungi That Are Actually Very Real

From books to movies to games to theme parks to set tours to flagship stores to traveling exhibits to the stage and beyond, the Wizarding World canon is vast, and, yet, we can’t help but notice that it always comes back to herbology, or the study of magical plants. (Even Pottery Barn Teen has a herbology line with Harry Potter terrariums!) From the stocked shelves of Diagon Alley to the Hogwarts Castle grounds, there are a lot of curious names and descriptions of plants mentioned in the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts franchises. But you may be surprised to learn that many of these sinister potion ingredients, dreamy flora or otherworldly-looking vegetation are not the stuff of fantasy. They're very real and of the humble muggle world. Here’s a look at some of the most iconic plants and fungi mentioned that exist in our natural world and, perhaps, in your garden right now.

Editor's Note: While very real to fans, Harry Potter is a work of fiction, and some uses of plants in the stories are not *actually* advisable in real life. We’ve noted poisonous plants when relevant.

Much to Snape’s delight, Harry forgets the crucial hellebore ingredient during a potions class in the Order of the Phoenix book. In the Wizarding World, hellebore syrup – two drops to be exact – is used in the Draught of Peace. This popular, shade-loving flower is typically pink, red or a deep berry color, but Harry Potter mobile games show hellebore syrup as blue; so, perhaps the creators were inspired by the hybrid 'Blue Metallic Lady,' which is a deep, inky purple-blue. But regardless of color, please do not make your own hellebore syrup as this gorgeous winter bloom is highly toxic when ingested.

When the first Harry Potter film was released in theaters, a trading card game (appropriately named the Harry Potter Trading Card Game) was also released, and one sinister potion card features an Angel’s Trumpet Draught. Angel’s trumpet is also featured in the mobile game "Harry Potter: Wizards Unite" as a key ingredient for the Tonic for Trace Detection. This tropical showstopper is one of our favorite landscaping tricks as it creates a dramatic cascade of flowers. And it comes in quite a few colors, from a cheery peach to a bold orange to an ombre white-to-pink flower that appears in the video game. Angel’s trumpet has been associated with witchy ways long before Harry Potter, but please do not make your own tonic or draught as this plant is toxic to humans and fur babies.

Of all the magical plants featured in the Harry Potter franchise – especially the films – the mandrake gets the most air time. As farfetched as those screaming babies made out of roots sound, this ancient Mediterranean plant is actually real. And it does look like a mad baby! It’s from the caudiciform family, which means it stores water in a large stem or caudex. The caudex is divided into swollen, elongated knobby roots that … kind of resemble human limbs. Pair that with some pretty lifelike indentions for eyes and a mouth and it’s easy to see why so many cultures have considered these plants steeped in magic for centuries.

Yes, really. The Harry Potter series did not invent this concept nor the idea that a mandrake’s scream could kill you. Mandrakes have been intertwined with fantasy since the 14th century B.C., from Homer to Shakespeare. And mandrakes have been believed to heal all kinds of ailments and issues over the centuries. However, in reality, the Greeks really should have cooled it on mandrake as a sleep aid because this toxic plant is from the deadly nightshade family.