Smilax pumila

• Overview
• Interesting Facts
• Common Names
• Description
• Biology
• Taxonomy
• Similar Species
• More Info
• Further Reading
• Notes

Overview

Interesting Facts

Common Names

Description

Family Smilacaceae

Shrubs , herbs, or vines , perennial , rhizomatous . Stems erect or climbing , usually prickly, sometimes unarmed . Leaves opposite or alternate, prominently 3-veined, reticulate between veins, usually bearing tendrils , usually leathery. Inflorescences umbellate [or racemose or spicate ]. Flowers unisexual , staminate and pistillate on different plants ; tepals 6, distinct , rarely united into perianth tube ; stamens 2-3-whorled, anthers 1-locular; pistillate flowers bearing staminodes, pistil 3-carpellate; ovary 2-locular, 1-2 ovules per locule. Fruits baccate . Seeds 1-3.

Genera 4(-12), species ca. 375 (1 genus, 20 species in the flora ) : worldwide, mainly tropical to subtropical , a few temperate .

The leaves of Smilacaceae are atypical of monocotyledons in being reticulate between major veins. The family is closely related to and sometimes included in Liliaceae. It differs mainly in leaf characteristics and in being dioecious.[1]

Genus Smilax

Shrubs , vines , or herbs; rhizomes tuberous or stoloniferous , woody; roots filiform . Stems erect , sprawling or, more often, climbing , simple or branching, unarmed or armed with prickles; woody or herbaceous. Leaves deciduous or evergreen , alternate; stipules present; tendrils often present (few or rudimentary in S. hugeri and S. ecirrhata, absent in S. biltmoreana), paired , originating from petioles ; blade linear , oblong , ovate , or, sometimes, reduced to scales in herbaceous species, base sometimes lobed . Inflorescences umbellate , axillary to leaves or bracts, loose to dense, pedunculate . Flowers unisexual ; tepals 6, greenish, yellow, or bronze, ovate to elliptic ; staminate flowers sometimes with pistillode , stamens 6, anthers basifixed , dehiscence introrse ; pistillate flowers with 6 staminodes, style short or absent, stigmas 3, recurved, ligulate . Berries black, blue, purple, red, or orange. x = 13-16.

Species ca. 350: worldwide in the tropics and subtropics, with extensions into temperate areas.

The North American herbaceous species of Smilax (numbers 2, 5, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, and 15 in this treatment) traditionally have been placed in sect. Nemexia (Rafinesque) A. de Candolle. J. K . Mangaly (1968) concluded that the correct name for this group at that rank is sect. Coprosmanthus (Torrey) Bentham. The remaining North American species, all more or less woody, belong to sect. Smilax. The relatively small number of species (20) present in the flora does not warrant the elaboration of an updated subgeneric classification, which should take into account all species of the genus on a worldwide basis.

The leaves of Smilax are very unusual. A. Arber (1918, 1920) believed that the blade of Smilax is not equivalent to the lamina of a dicotyledon but is merely a pseudolamina representing an expansion of the upper region of the petiole. In this view , tendrils are also proliferations of the petiole and are not homologous to tendrils of dicotyledons. However, D. R. Kaplan (1973) remarked that unifacial monocotyledonous leaves never exhibit a lamina rudiment at the apex, and therefore there is no convincing argument that their apices are simply petiolar . He suggested that the terete leaf axis of monocotyledons is not merely an expanded petiole but is positionally equivalent to the lamina region of a dicotyledonous leaf. Smilax leaves lack an abscission layer, but the distal portion of the petiole undergoes a soft disintegration and the blade falls, leaving a rough end on the stub (W. C. Coker 1944).

Smilax has numerous uses. Sarsaparilla, a beverage and medicinal used against rheumatism, is obtained from the rhizomes of various species, mainly from Mexico and Central America. A jelly can be made from the rhizomes. The fleshy rhizomes of several vining species, most notably S. smallii, which have a texture of firm, crisp apples, were used by Native Americans and early settlers in the same manner as were potatoes, or else in making bread or mush. The young, succulent stems of several species are cooked and used as asparagus or the tender stems may be used in salads . Seeds were sometimes used as beads (Indian coral ) and a brown dye can be made from the roots of various species. Woody rhizomes were reportedly used by Native Americans and settlers in making pipes. Some species have been used in Native American (D. E. Moerman 1986) and folk medicine. All species of Smilax are excellent wildlife food and are also browsed, or the rhizomes dug and eaten, by domestic stock.[2]

Physical Description

Habitat

Woods , along streams , sandy soil[3].

Typically found at an altitude of 0 to 832 meters (0 to 2,730 feet).[4]

Biology

Reproduction

Duration: Perennial

Growth

Culture: Space 12-15" apart.

Sunlight: Sun Exposure: Sun to Partial Shade.

Temperature: Cold Hardiness: 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b. (map)

Taxonomy

Synonyms

S. pubera Michaux • S. puberula Kunth • Smilax humilis Miller

Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name .

Last scrutiny: 09-Jul-2004

Similar Species

Members of the genus Smilax

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 31 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus:

S. aristolochiifolia (Sarsaparilla) · S. aspera (Rough Bindweed) · S. auriculata (Catbrier) · S. australis (Barbwire Vine) · S. biltmoreana (Biltmore's Carrionflower) · S. bona-nox (Cowvine Smilax Bona-Nox) · S. californica (California Greenbrier) · S. china (China Root) · S. coriacea (Everglades Greenbrier) · S. ecirrata (Carrionflower) · S. ecirrhata (Carrion Flower) · S. glauca (Cat Greenbrier) · S. glauca var. glauca (Sawbrier) · S. herbacea (Carrion Flower Vine) · S. herbacea lasioneuron (Blue Ridge Carrion-Flower) · S. hugeri (Huger's Carrionflower) · S. illinoensis (Illinois Greenbrier) · S. jamesii (English Peak Greenbrier) · S. lasioneura (Blue Ridge Carrion-Flower) · S. lasioneuron (Blue Ridge Carrion-Flower) · S. laurifolia (Bamboo Vine) · S. melastomifolia (Aka'awa) · S. pseudochina (Bamboo Vine) · S. pulverulenta (Downy Carrionflower) · S. pumila (Dwarf Smilax) · S. regelii (Jamaican Sarsaparilla) · S. renifolia (Kidneyleaf Greenbrier) · S. rotundifolia (Bull Briar) · S. smallii (Jackson Vine) · S. tamnoides (Bristly Greenbriar) · S. walteri (Coral Greenbrier)

More Info

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Further Reading

• A provisional host-index of the fungi of the United States, by W. G. Farlow and A. B. Seymour. Cambridge, 1888-91. url p. 138.
• An encyclopaedia of trees and shrubs: being the Arboretum et fruticetum britannicum abridged: containing the hardy trees and shrubs of Britain, native and foreign, scientifically and popularly described; with their propagation, culture, by J. C. Loudon. London: F. Warne; 1869. url , p. 1098.
• Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. New York, New York Academy of Sciences. url p. 100, p. 104, p. 111, p. 15, p. 260, p. 36, p. 46, p. 85, p. 98.
• Annual report / Florida State Geological Survey. Tallahassee, Fla.: Capital Pub. Co., state printer, url p. 116, p. 214, p. 220, p. 263, p. 276, p. 293, p. 342.
• Arboretum et fruticetum Britannicum; or, The trees and shrubs of Britain, native and foreign, hardy and half-hardy, pictorially and botanically delineated, and scientifically and popularly described; with their propagation, culture, mana London, Henry G. Bohn, 1854. url .
• Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club. 15 1888 New York: Torrey Botanical Club, 1870-1996 url , p. 164, p. 214, p. 216, p. 453, p. 480, p. 51, p. 516, p. 58.
• Contributions from the United States National Herbarium 6 1901 Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1890- url p. 446.
• Field, forest and garden botany: a simple introduction to the common plants of the United States east of the 100th meridian, both wild and cultivated / by Asa Gray. New York: American Book, c1895. url p. 437.
• Field, forest, and garden botany; a simple introduction to the common plants of the United States east of the 100th meridian, both wild and cultivated, by Asa Gray. .. Cincinnati [etc.]American Book Company[1895] url p. 437.
• Flood tolerance of plant species in bottomland forests of the southeastern United States / 1992. url p. 111, p. 178, p. 198.
• Flora of the Southern United States: containing an abridged description of the flowering plants and ferns of Tennessee, North and South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida: arranged according to the natural system. New York, Ivison, Blakeman, Taylor & Co., [c1883] url .
• Flora of the southeastern United States; being descriptions of the seed-plants, ferns and fern-allies growing naturally in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, and in Oklahom by John Kunkel Small. New York, The author, 1913. url p. 284, p. 284.
• Flora of the southern United States, containing an abridged description of the flowering plants and ferns of Tennessee, North and South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida; arranged according to the natural system by A.W. Chapman. New York, American Book Company[1897] url p. 476.
• Florida wild flowers; an introduction to the flora of the Florida peninsula, by Mary Francis Baker, photographs by the author. New York, The Macmillan company, 1926. url p. 44.
• Gray's school and field book of botany. Consisting of "Lessons in botany, " and "Field, forest, and garden botany, " bound in one volume. New York, American book company, 1901?, c1887 url p. 437.
• Grevillea. London: Williams and Norgate; 1872-1894. url p. 52.
• Journal of the New York Botanical Garden. 24 1923 Lancaster, Pa.: Published for the Garden by the New Era Printing Co., 1900- url p. 17.
• Manual of the southeastern flora: being descriptions of the seed plants growing naturally in Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, eastern Louisiana, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. 1933 New York: The author, 1933. url p. 311, p. 314.
• Native woody plants of the United States, their erosion-control and wildlife values. Washington, U. S. Govt. print. off., 1938. url , p. 262.
• Natural history of New York. Albany: D. Appleton: 1842-1894. url p. 302, p. 302.
• North American fauna. Washington: Fish and Wildlife Service; for sale by the Supt. of Docs., U. S. Govt. Print. Off. url p. 22.
• Phytologia. Bronx Park, New York, H.A. Gleason and H.N. Moldenke, url p. 20, p. 380, p. 49, p. 50.
• Plant life of Alabama, an account of the distribution, modes of association, and adaptations of the flora of Alabama, together with a systematic catalogue of the plants growing in the state. By Charles Mohr. .. Montgomery, Ala., Brown printing co., 1901. url p. 446, p. 66.
• Plant life of Alabama. An account of the distribution, modes of association, and adaptations of the flora of Alabama, together with a systematic catalogue of the plants growing in the state. Prepared in cooperationwith the Washington, Govt. Print. Off., 1901. url .
• Rafinesque, C. S. Autikon botanikon: or botanical illustrations of 2500. New, rare or beautiful Trees, Shrubs, Plants, Vines, Lilies, Grasses, Ferns... /by Prof. C.S. Rafinesque. 1815-1840 Philadelphia, 1815-1840. url p. 130.
• Small, J. K. Flora of the southeastern United States;being descriptions of the seed-plants, ferns and fern-allies growing naturally in North Carolina, South Carolin, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana and the Indian territory and in Oklahoma and Texas east of the one-hundredth meridian /by John Kunkel Small. .. 1903 New York: The author, 1903. url p. 282.
• The Bradley bibliography; a guide to the literature of the woody plants of the world published before the beginning of the twentieth century; Cambridge, Riverside Press, 1911-18. url p. 824, p. 86.
• The Nautilus. Melbourne, Fla., etc., American Malacologists, inc., etc. url p. 96.
• The Plant world. Baltimore [etc.]Plant World Association [etc.] url p. 268.
• The flora of the metamorphic region of Alabama / by F.S. Earle. Montgomery, Ala.: Brown Printing Co., 1902. url p. 66.
• Winter botany, a companion volume to the author's Plant materials of decorative gardening, by William Trelease. .. Urbana, The author, 1918. url p. 8.
• Winter botany, by William Trelease. .. Urbana, The author, 1918. url p. 8.
• Arber, A. 1920. Tendrils of Smilax. Bot. Gaz. 69: 438-442.
• Coker, W. C. 1944. The woody smilaxes of the United States. J. Elisha Mitchell Sci. Soc. 60: 27-69, plates 9-39.
• Duncan, W. H. 1975. Woody Vines of the Southeastern United States. Athens, Ga.
• Fernald, M. L. 1944. Overlooked species, transfers, and novelties in the flora of eastern North America. Rhodora 46: 1-28, 32-60.
• Judd, W. S. 1998. The Smilacaceae in the southeastern United States. Harvard Pap. Bot. 3: 147-169.
• Mangaly, J. K. 1968. A cytotaxonomic study of the herbaceous species of Smilax: Section Coprosmanthus. Rhodora 70: 55-82, 247-273.
• Morong, T. 1894. The Smilaceae [sic] of North and Central America. Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 21: 419-448.
• Pennell, F. W. 1916b. Notes on plants of the southern United States -- II. Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 43: 409-421.
• Wang Fa-tsuan & Tang Tsin, eds. 1978; 1980. Liliaceae. Fl. Reipubl. Popularis Sin. 15: 1--280; 14: 1--308.

Notes

Contributors

• Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-present. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Zwaag, The Netherlands. Accessed January 13, 2012.

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal November 22, 2007:

• Missouri Botanical Garden, Missouri Botanical Garden
• USDA PLANTS, USDA PLANTS Database
• University of Alabama Biodiversity and Systematics, Herbarium

Identifiers

• Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 2662897
• Catalogue of Life Accepted Name Code: Kew-288874
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility Taxonkey: 13755007
• Globally Unique Identifier: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:541776-1
• GRIN Nomen Number: 454730
• Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) Taxonomic Serial Number (TSN): 43361
• International Plant Names Index (IPNI) ID: 541776-1
• U.S.D.A. Plant Symbol: SMPU
• Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 63467

Footnotes

1. Walter C. Holmes "Smilacaceae". in Flora of North America Vol. 26 Page 12, 13, 14, 17, 20, 468. Oxford University Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
2. "Smilax". in Flora of North America Vol. 26 Page 14, 468, 469, 474, 477. Oxford University Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
3. "Smilax pumila". in Flora of North America Vol. 26 Page 470, 476. Oxford University Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
4. Mean = 65.550 meters (215.059 feet), Standard Deviation = 102.650 based on 1,954 observations. Altitude information for each observation from British Oceanographic Data Centre. [back]

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