Smilax herbacea

Smilax herbacea, the smooth carrionflower[2] or smooth herbaceous greenbrier, is a plant in the catbriar family. It is native to eastern Canada (Quebec, Ontario, New Brunswick) and the eastern United States (as far south as Georgia and Alabama).[3][4] Its preferred natural habitat is rich forests, and riparian thicket and meadows.[5]

Smilax herbacea
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Liliales
Family: Smilacaceae
Genus: Smilax
Section: Smilax sect. Nemexia
Species:
S. herbacea
Binomial name
Smilax herbacea
Synonyms[1]
Synonymy
  • Coprosmanthus herbaceus (L.) Kunth
  • Nemexia herbacea (L.) Small
  • Smilax peduncularis Muhl. ex Willd.
  • Nemexia cerulea Raf.
  • Nemexia nigra Raf.
  • Smilax longifolia P.Watson 1825, not Rich. 1792
  • Smilax watsonii Sweet
  • Coprosmanthus consanguineus Kunth
  • Coprosmanthus peduncularis (Muhl. ex Willd.) Kunth

Description

Smilax herbacea is a vine with alternate, simple leaves, on climbing stems. The flowers are green, borne in spring. The plant at first looks like asparagus when it first sprouts out of the ground. The plant can grow over 8 feet tall without support, but will eventually fall over unless it successfully finds external support.[5]

  • Flower in bud
    Flower in bud
  • Young sprout at 2' height
    Young sprout at 2' height
  • Line drawing showing floral details
    Line drawing showing floral details
  • flower prior to opening
    flower prior to opening

Uses
detail of new growth of Smilax herbacea

Food

The species can be used to prepare food in the same fashion as Smilax bona-nox and Smilax rotundifolia.[6]

Ethnobotany

In traditional Ainu medicine, applications of the softened leaves were used for healing eye infections, skin eruptions, and wounds.[7]

References
  1. Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
  2. USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Smilax herbacea". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 16 November 2015.
  3. Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
  4. Biota of North America Program 2014 county distribution map
  5. Flora of North America Vol. 26 Page 473 Carrion-flower, Jacob’s-ladder, smilax herbacé, Smilax herbacea Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 2: 1030. 1753.
  6. Elias, Thomas S.; Dykeman, Peter A. (2009) [1982]. Edible Wild Plants: A North American Field Guide to Over 200 Natural Foods. New York: Sterling. p. 66. ISBN 978-1-4027-6715-9. OCLC 244766414.
  7. Batchelor, John; Miyabe, Kingo (1893). "Ainu economic plants". Transactions of the Asiatic Society of Japan. XXI: 212.
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