Herbology notes

Chinese Chomping Cabbage

A cabbage with teeth. It snaps at anything that comes near.

• Handle it from behind, wearing thick gloves.
• In some tellings, a grown cabbage can be let loose to chase and bite an attacker.
• Keep it in its own bed, away from other plants.

Teaching tip: Have students describe feeding time. The one who keeps their fingers gets the points.

Mallowsweet

A herb that centaurs burn, together with sage, to help them read the stars.

• They watch the shapes in the smoke and flames.
• The leaves are the part that is burned.
• In some tellings its leaves are also a potion ingredient.

Teaching tip: Link it to star-reading. Burn some in a scene and ask students what their characters see in the smoke.

Also on: Divination

Knotgrass

A low, creeping weed with small leaves, grown for use in potions.

• It is one of the ingredients of Polyjuice Potion.
• It grows almost anywhere and spreads quickly.
• Pick whole sprigs and tie them in bunches to dry.

Teaching tip: Ask students to find it in a weedy bed. It teaches that a useful plant can look like nothing at all.

Also on: Potions

Shrivelfig

A fig tree from Abyssinia, whose purple fruit is peeled and used in the Shrinking Solution.

• Second-years learn to prune it.
• The fruit must be skinned before it goes into a potion.
• It comes from a warm country, so it is kept in a heated greenhouse.

Teaching tip: Run a pruning lesson. Students say which branches they cut and why, and you say how the tree looks afterwards.

Also on: Potions

Leaping Toadstool

A toadstool that jumps. Repotting a tub of them is harder than it sounds.

• They leap when touched.
• Second-years handle them in the greenhouses.
• In some tellings the caps are used in a potion for invisibility.

Teaching tip: A chase scene for beginners. Students try to get three toadstools back into the tub and describe how each escapes.

Wormwood and asphodel

Two plants that together make the Draught of Living Death, the strongest sleeping potion.

• Wormwood is a bitter, grey-green herb, used as an infusion.
• Asphodel is a pale lily, and its root is dried and powdered.
• Each is harmless enough on its own.

Teaching tip: Use the pairing as a memory test: which two plants make the strongest sleeping potion?

Also on: Potions

Nettles

Common stinging nettles, dried and used in simple potions such as the Cure for Boils.

• Wear gloves, because they sting.
• Drying takes the sting out.
• They grow wild almost everywhere.

Teaching tip: A first-lesson plant. Have students gather it properly gloved, then explain how to dry it.

Also on: Potions

Valerian

A tall plant with a strong smell. Its roots and sprigs are used in sleeping potions.

• The root is the strongest part.
• Cats are very fond of the smell.
• Too much makes a sleeping potion dangerously strong.

Teaching tip: Ask why a calming plant has to be measured carefully. It leads into why dose matters in every potion.

Also on: Potions

Sneezewort

A plant whose dried leaves make you sneeze. It is used in potions that confuse and befuddle.

• It is often used with scurvy-grass and lovage.
• Handle the dried leaves gently, or the whole class will be sneezing.
• In the wrong dose it makes a person hot-headed and reckless.

Teaching tip: Let a student sniff it in a scene and play the sneezing fit. Then ask what else it does in a potion.

Also on: Potions

Sopophorous bean

A shrivelled bean whose juice is used in the Draught of Living Death.

• It is slippery, and tends to shoot out from under the knife.
• Crushing it with the flat of a blade gives more juice than cutting it.
• A silver knife is the usual tool.

Teaching tip: Have students try cutting and then crushing an imaginary bean. Ask which gives more juice and why.

Also on: Potions

Moly

A plant with a black stem and a white flower, which can be eaten to counter enchantments.

• It has been known since ancient times.
• It is a strong defence against charms cast on you.
• It is hard to find growing wild.

Teaching tip: Ask when a student might need it. It is a good way into talking about protecting yourself without a wand.

Wiggentree

A magical rowan tree. Its bark is used in healing potions, and Bowtruckles guard it.

• Anyone touching the trunk is said to be safe from Dark creatures.
• Offer the Bowtruckles woodlice before you take any bark.
• Take only a little, so the tree is not harmed.

Teaching tip: Pair it with the Bowtruckle. A student must get a strip of bark without upsetting the tree's guardians.

Also on: Creatures

Fanged Geranium

A geranium that bites. It looks pretty, and has sharp little fangs.

• It nips fingers that stray too close.
• Thick gloves are enough protection.
• Older students handle it in practical exams.

Teaching tip: Have students repot one in pairs: one distracts it, the other moves it. Swap, and compare bites.

Screechsnap

A plant that is partly aware of its surroundings. Its seedlings wriggle and squeak when they are uncomfortable.

• Too much dragon dung makes them squeal.
• They need gentle handling and steady warmth.
• A noisy tray tells you something is wrong.

Teaching tip: Give a student too much fertiliser on purpose and let them work out why the seedlings are complaining.

Honking Daffodil

A daffodil that honks. It is harmless, loud and cheerful.

• It is grown for decoration.
• It makes a honking noise, most of all when it is disturbed.

Teaching tip: A cheerful spring lesson. Students plant a row and describe the noise when it flowers.

Dragon dung and other feeds

Magical plants need feeding. Dragon dung compost is the usual fertiliser.

• It is strong, and too much burns the roots.
• Mooncalf dung, gathered before sunrise, makes plants grow fast.
• Compost is kept in sacks at the back of the greenhouse.

Teaching tip: A smelly lesson that students remember. Ask each one to mix a feed for a named plant and defend the amounts.

Repotting and pruning

The two everyday jobs of Herbology: moving plants to bigger pots, and cutting them back.

• Repot when the roots fill the pot.
• Prune dead or crowded growth, cutting cleanly just above a bud.
• Know what your plant does when it is disturbed, before you start.

Teaching tip: Give each student one plant and one task. They narrate it step by step, and you describe how the plant reacts.

Harvesting ingredients

When and how you pick a plant decides how well it works in a potion.

• Some plants are picked at a certain time: at dawn, at dusk, or under a full moon.
• Take only what you need, and leave the plant able to grow back.
• Label everything as you pick it. Dried leaves all look alike.

Teaching tip: Have students plan a harvest for a named potion: what, when and how. Then check it against the moon.

Also on: Potions

Growing from seed

Most magical plants can be raised from seed in a pot, given the right soil, feed and time.

• Small pots suit herbs, and large ones are needed for anything with long roots.
• Some seeds take days to grow and others take weeks.
• A feed at planting speeds things up.

Teaching tip: Give each student a seed to look after across several classes. They report on it at the start of each lesson.

Plants that fight

In some tellings, a few magical plants can be carried and used to defend yourself.

• A Chomping Cabbage chases and bites.
• A Mandrake's cry stuns everyone nearby, so cover your ears.
• A Venomous Tentacula spits venom at whatever is in front of it.

Teaching tip: Be clear whether your group allows plants in a fight. If it does, the plant gets one action a turn, like a spell.

Also on: Dueling

Herbology class safety gear

Herbology uses gloves, earmuffs, goggles and sturdy boots, depending on what is growing.

• Dragon-hide gloves protect against sharp or irritating plants.
• Earmuffs protect against screams and shrieks.

Teaching tip: Make a gear checklist. Each student states what they wear for a specific plant before they approach it.

Greenhouse care

Greenhouses need steady warmth, the right light, and regular watering or feeding.

• Different plants like different conditions.
• Never mix up the watering instructions.

Teaching tip: Assign each student a plant to look after for a week of story time. They report back with its health and any problems.

Venomous Tentacula

A spiky green plant with moving vines that reach for anything alive nearby, and a venomous bite.

• Its bite and spikes are venomous and can be deadly, so stay out of reach and wear thick gloves.
• Its leaves are prized potion ingredients, worth about ten Galleons each.
• Its seeds are a Class C Non-Tradeable Substance, so buying and selling them is restricted. In some tellings people still keep the plant as a pet.
• Its juice is a poison too. In some tellings it burns and turns the skin purple without killing.
• The Severing Charm (Diffindo) can cut away a vine that has grabbed hold.
• Sixth-years work with it in Herbology. Younger classes are told to keep clear, most of all when it is teething.

“Gloves on, and never turn your back on it.”

Teaching tip: Practice the approach in slow motion: students describe how they stay out of reach while taking a cutting. Then ask which charm frees a classmate caught by a vine (the Severing Charm).

Bubotuber

A plant with swollen, pus-filled bulbs that are used for treating skin problems.

• The pus is powerful and must be diluted.
• Handle with gloves because it can burn skin.

Teaching tip: Gross-out safe scene: a student describes squeezing the pus into a bowl while wearing gloves, and what the class says.

Puffapod

A plant that grows bulging pods, handled in Herbology lessons.

• A good plant for a calm, hands-on lesson.
• Check with your professor what it is used for in your class.

Teaching tip: A relaxing lesson: students shell pods in character while telling a short story about their week.

Mimbulus mimbletonia

A strange cactus-like plant that sprays a foul-smelling liquid when poked.

• Rare and prized by collectors.
• Its spray is smelly but harmless in small doses.

Teaching tip: Ask students how a person should open a plant that sprays when tickled. Link it to patience and protective clothing.

Whomping Willow

A large, violent tree that swings its branches at anyone who gets close.

• There is a hidden spot that freezes it.
• Never approach without a plan.

Teaching tip: Ask students how they would approach it without getting hit. Good answers mention distance and finding the safe spot.

Flutterby Bush

A flowering bush that appears in Herbology lessons.

• A gentle plant, good for a calm lesson.
• Check with your professor what it is used for in your class.

Teaching tip: A gentler class. Students sketch the bush and write one line about its flowers and the insects it draws.

Snargaluff pods

A twisted stump that grows pods and fights back when you try to harvest them.

• Wear thick gloves and protective gear.
• Teamwork makes harvesting much easier.

Teaching tip: Use it as a team exercise: one student holds the pod steady while another harvests, and they have to talk through each step.

Aconite (Wolfsbane plant)

A purple flowering plant that is poisonous when raw but central to the Wolfsbane Potion.

• Also called monkshood.
• Must be handled with gloves and prepared carefully.

Teaching tip: Link it to the Wolfsbane Potion. Ask students why a plant that is dangerous raw can still be useful when prepared properly.

Mandrake

A root that looks like a small person. Its cry is deadly once the plant is fully grown.

• Wear earmuffs when repotting. A young one's cry only knocks you out.
• Used in a draught that restores people who have been petrified or transfigured.

Teaching tip: Run a safety-first scene: earmuffs on, repotting steps in order, and what goes wrong if someone forgets.

Devil's Snare

A vine that wraps tighter the more you struggle.

• Likes the dark and damp. Shrinks away from light and fire.
• Relax to slip free.

Teaching tip: Act out the lesson: a student narrates getting tangled, and the class decides whether staying calm or using light is the better response.

Fluxweed

A plant used in Polyjuice Potion that must be picked at the full moon.

• A good example of why potion makers track moon phases.

Teaching tip: Ask students to build a timeline of when to harvest and when to brew. It shows why moon tracking matters for potions.

Gillyweed

A slimy water plant that lets you breathe underwater for about an hour.

• Grows gills and webbed hands and feet.

Teaching tip: Ask what could go wrong with a one-hour effect. Students plan a safe lake task with a clear time limit and a helper on shore.

Dittany

A healing herb. Its essence closes wounds quickly.

Teaching tip: Use it in a first-aid scene: a student describes a small injury, another picks the herb and explains how to apply it.