Harry Potter Mandrakes grown in Cambridgeshire only in UK

Dee Hill, who lives in St Neots, is the only person in the UK who has grown the four species of Mandrakes, or as they're known in the botanical world, Mandragora.

She's now been given the prestigious award from Plant Heritage of National Collection Status for her efforts.

Dee first came across Mandrakes when she began studying her Historical Research MA at the University of Cambridge.

She chose to study Magical and Medical Botany, and that's where she discovered the plant.

Dee said: "Mandrakes were an extremely effective anaesthetic, and they've even been mentioned in the Bible.

"However, they are incredibly powerful and can only be used by people that know a great deal about them. 

"It's a fine line between an anaesthetic and a deadly poison."

The magical plants were used by armies and the navy for performing operations.

Many of us will best know Mandrakes from the 'Harry Potter' series, where they feature in Professor Sprout's (played by Miriam Margolyes) greenhouses.

Dee said: "When I told Plant Heritage that I'd grown four species of Mandrake, they thought they only existed in 'Harry Potter'!"

Dee's prestigious 'National Plant Collection' award, from Plant Heritage. (Image: Dee Hill)

Dee began growing the plants after she met a French man, who had the National Collection Status for Mandrakes in France.

She'd been told that they're notoriously difficult to grow, but Dee "had no problem at all".

"I was inspired by the man I met in France. 

"When he told me he had the National Collection Status, I thought, "Maybe I'll ask about it then!""

Dee has even supplied the Cambridge Botanical Gardens with a Mandrake from her collection.

Her and her partner run the River Glade Private Nursery, by appointment only, in St Neots, and she occasionally sells her Mandrakes too.

Recommended Reading: BMRA members raise nearly £42,000 for Alzheimer's Society