Smilax rotundifolia

Smilax rotundifolia

Secure  (NatureServe)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Monocots
Order: Liliales
Family: Smilacaceae
Genus: Smilax
Species: S. rotundifolia
Binomial name
Smilax rotundifolia
L.
Synonyms[1]
  • Smilax caduca L.
  • Smilax quadrangularis Muhl. ex Willd.
  • Smilax deltifolia Raf.
  • Smilax platoplis Raf.
  • Smilax tetragona M.Martens & Galeotti
  • Smilax engelmanniana Kunth
  • Smilax sprengelii Kunth

Smilax rotundifolia, known as roundleaf greenbrier[2] and common greenbrier, is a woody vine native to the eastern and south-central United States and to eastern Canada.[1][3][4] It is a common and conspicuous part of the natural forest ecosystems in much of its native range. The leaves are glossy green, petioled, alternate, and circular to heart-shaped. They are generally 5–13 cm long. Common greenbrier climbs other plants using green tendrils growing out of the petioles.[5]

The stems are round and green and have sharp spines. The flowers are greenish, and are produced from April to August. The fruit is a bluish black berry that ripens in September.[5]

Cultivation and uses

Common greenbrier grows in roadsides, landscapes, clearings and woods. In clearings it often forms dense and impassable thickets.[5] It grows throughout Eastern North America from Nova Scotia in the east, to as far north as Ontario and Kansas, south to Florida and as far west as Texas.[5]

The young shoots of common greenbrier are reported to be excellent when cooked like asparagus.[6] The young leaves and tendrils can be prepared like spinach or added directly to salads.[6] The roots have a natural gelling agent in them that can be extracted and used as a thickening agent.[6]

References

  1. 1 2 Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
  2. ↑ "Smilax rotundifolia". Natural Resources Conservation Service PLANTS Database. USDA. Retrieved 16 November 2015.
  3. ↑ Biota of North America Program 2014 county distribution map
  4. ↑ Flora of North America Vol. 26 Page 476 Common greenbrier or catbrier, bullbrier, horsebrier Smilax rotundifolia Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 2: 1030. 1753.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Uva, R. H.; J. C. Neal; J. M. Ditomaso (1997). Weeds of the Northeast. Cornell University Press. pp. 338–339.
  6. 1 2 3 Peterson, L. A. (1977). Edible Wild Plants. Houghton Mifflin Company. p. 198.
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