A plant taproot that is divided so that the whole root has a shape reminiscent of a small man (homunculus); also, the plant that bears such a root, principally the species Mandragora (family Solanaceae) but also Bryonia alba (white bryony, family Cucurbitaceae). Mandrakes contain hallucinogenic alkaloids that in the past have had medicinal uses, and the combination of their appearance and properties have given rise to much folklore and a supposed association with witchcraft.