Smilax anceps

Smilax anceps is a vigorous scrambling vine or shrub, and is one of some 278 species in the genus Smilax in the family Smilacaceae. The species is widespread in Tropical Africa, Southern Africa, Réunion, Mauritius, Comoros, and Madagascar.[2] The specific name 'anceps' is Latin for 'dangerous', a caution against the hooked prickles. Tarundia cinctipennis Stål, 1862, a hemipteran insect, is associated with this plant.[3]

Smilax anceps
1875 illustration[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Liliales
Family: Smilacaceae
Genus: Smilax
Species:
S. anceps
Binomial name
Smilax anceps
Synonyms
  • Smilax herbacea Thunb. (1808)
  • S. semiamplexicaulis Bojer (1837)
  • S. kraussiana Meisn. (1845)
  • S. morsaniana Kunth (1850)
  • S. mossambicensis Garcke (1864)
  • S. goudotiana DC. (1874)
  • S. telfaireana DC. (1874)
  • S. cynodon Cordem. (1895)

It has tough, fibrous stems up to 5 m long, armed with numerous hooked prickles and pairs of coiled tendrils at the leaf petiole bases. Leaves are entire, alternate, ovate to elliptic to somewhat circular, 4–14 cm long, with a leathery texture. Petioles are 0.5-2.5 cm long, thickened, and channeled above. Inflorescences are many-flowered axillary, globose umbels, with peduncles some 3 cm long and 2 ovate bracts near the middle, and some 5 mm long. Flowers in the same inflorescence are unisexual, with perianth segments 3–5 mm long, recurved, greenish-white, yellowish or brownish. The fruit is a globose berry, 8–10 mm in diameter, turning from red to purplish to black when ripe, slightly sweet and acidulous.[4][5][6]

This species was first described and published in 1806 by Carl Ludwig von Willdenow, the early German phytogeographer in "Species Plantarum" Editio Quarto 4: 782.

References
  1. Smilax anceps Willd. [as Smilax kraussiana Meissner]Transactions of the Linnean Society of London, vol. 29: t. 106 (1875) W.H. Fitch - Illustration contributed by the library of the Missouri Botanical Garden, U.S.A.
  2. "World Checklist of Selected Plant Families: Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew". apps.kew.org. Retrieved 2017-08-01.
  3. "Planthoppers: FLOW Website".
  4. "Threatened Species Programme | SANBI Red List of South African Plants". redlist.sanbi.org. Retrieved 2017-08-01.
  5. "Smilax anceps Willd. [family SMILACACEAE] on JSTOR". plants.jstor.org. Retrieved 2017-08-01.
  6. "China Smilax - Smilax anceps - Overview - Encyclopedia of Life". Encyclopedia of Life. Retrieved 2017-08-01.
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