Smilax glauca

Smilax glauca, the cat greenbriar[2] or catbriar is a woody vine in the family Smilacaceae. It is native to central and eastern portions of the United States, where it is a common and conspicuous part of the forest vegetation. It is also common across much of Mexico.[1][3][4]

Smilax glauca
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Liliales
Family: Smilacaceae
Genus: Smilax
Species:
S. glauca
Binomial name
Smilax glauca
Walter 1788 not Mart. 1823
Synonyms[1]
  • Smilax sarsaparilla L.
  • Smilax spinulosa Sm.
  • Smilax discolor Schltdl.

Smilax glauca has prickly stems and climbs by means of tendrils. Leaves are notably gray-glaucous to whitish beneath. It commonly inhabits wooded areas and fences and is often found growing with other species of Smilax. The plants tend to be evergreen in the more southern United States.[5][6][7]

Description

Smilax glauca is a woody vine that succeeds in most soils in sun and in semi-shaded areas. Smilax glauca can grow over trees, shrubs, or stumps. Smilax is a dioecious plant. Smilax glauca is an evergreen climber that can grow to 5 meters, it flowers in June and is leafy all year. Smilax glauca can survive in sandy, loamy, and clay soils.[8] Smilax glauca produces berries generally in the winter. The leaves of Smilax glauca are simple with a single leaf per node that die in the winter. Smilax glauca has fleshy berries.[9] Smilax glauca is a monocot liana.[10]

Taxonomy

The Smilax glauca is a monocot from the family Smilacaceae.[10] The Smilacaceae family comprises herbaceous vines and woody lianas typically with prickles and tendrils. Flowers have six tepals and stamens and the ovule bearing flowers have one superior ovary.[11] Smilax glauca has the common name of cat greenbrier.[12] Some authors recognize two varieties of the species (var. leurophylla and var. genuina) though Flora of Virginia only recognizes one.[13][14]

Distribution and habitat

Smilax glauca occurs in disturbed habitats such as forest edges and grasslands. The plant is native to much of the Atlantic coast of the USA. Smilax glauca also occurs in wetlands,[15] and can be found in the southeastern US.[10] Smilax glauca is also found in the Ocala National Forest in Florida.[16]

Fire ecology

The Smilax glauca is resistant to fire because it sprouts from rhizomes, canopy openings that are caused by fire favor S. glauca. The immediate effect of fire on the Smilax glauca is being top-killed with resprouting.[17] Smilax glauca increases in importance after fire in upland southern pine forests.[18]

Ethnobotany

There are a few medicinal uses for Smilax glauca. The stem prickles have been rubbed on the skin to act as a counterirritant to relieve pain and muscle cramps. The stems and leaves have also been used to make a tea that relieves stomach issues. Smilax glauca root can be boiled and made into a jelly like food, and it can be dried and made into a powder.[8]

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References
  1. Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
  2. "Smilax glauca". Natural Resources Conservation Service PLANTS Database. USDA. Retrieved 16 November 2015.
  3. Biota of North America Program 2014 county distribution map
  4. Killip, E. P. & C. V. Morton. 1936. Botany of the Maya Area: miscellaneous papers XII. A revision of the Mexican and Central American species of Smilax. Publications of the Carnegie Institution of Washington (12): 255–298, t. 1–11.
  5. Flora of North America Vol. 26 Page 473 "Wild sarsaparilla, sawbrier Smilax glauca" Walter, Fl. Carol. 245. 1788.
  6. "Smilax glauca". efloras.org. Retrieved 2009-05-30.
  7. "Smilax glauca Walter under Conservation Plant Characteristics". United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 2009-05-30.
  8. "Smilax glauca Cat Greenbrier PFAF Plant Database". pfaf.org. Retrieved 2018-11-26.
  9. "Smilax glauca (glaucous-leaved greenbriar): Go Botany". gobotany.nativeplanttrust.org. Retrieved 2018-10-30.
  10. "Plants Profile for Smilax glauca (cat greenbrier)". plants.usda.gov. Retrieved 2018-10-30.
  11. "Family: Smilacaceae (catbrier family): Go Botany". gobotany.nativeplanttrust.org. Retrieved 2018-12-07.
  12. "Smilax glauca (Cat greenbrier)". www.uniprot.org. Retrieved 2018-11-26.
  13. Blake, S. F. (1918). "A Variety of Smilax Glauca". Rhodora. 20 (232): 78–80. JSTOR 23298174.
  14. Weakley, Ludwig, Townsend (2012). Flora of Virginia. BRIT Press. ISBN 978-1-889878-38-6.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  15. "Smilax glauca (glaucous-leaved greenbriar): Go Botany". gobotany.nativeplanttrust.org. Retrieved 2018-10-30.
  16. Mohlenbrock, Robert H. (1976). "Woody Plants of the Ocala National Forest, Florida". Castanea. 41 (4): 309–319. JSTOR 4032722.
  17. "Smilax rotundifolia". www.fs.fed.us. Retrieved 2018-12-07.
  18. Hodgkins, Earl J. (1958-01-01). "Effects of Fire on Undergrowth Vegetation in Upland Southern Pine Forests". Ecology. 39 (1): 36–46. doi:10.2307/1929965. ISSN 1939-9170. JSTOR 1929965.
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