Smilax lasioneura |
Smilax smallii |
|
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Blue Ridge carrion-flower |
cantaque, lanceleaf greenbrier |
|
Habit | Herbs. | |
Stems | annual, erect to ascending, branched, 2–2.5 m, herbaceous, glabrous; prickles absent. |
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Leaves | evenly distributed, proximalmost smaller, narrower; petiole 1.5–9 cm, shorter than blade; tendrils numerous, long, functional; blade not lustrous, pale green abaxially, ovate to round, 4–8 × 3–6 cm, not glaucous, pubescent abaxially, with transparent trichomes, base cordate, margins entire, convex, apex acuminate to rounded and cuspidate. |
evergreen, distally disposed (± evenly disposed on immature plants); petiole 0.3–1.3 cm; blade deep green, often variegated, drying to pale green, lanceolate-elliptic to narrowly ovate, prominently reticulate, 5-veined from base, 5–6.6 × 1.7–3 cm, abaxially glabrous, not glaucous, base rounded to cuneate, margins entire to undulate, apex acuminate. |
Umbels | many, axillary to leaves, to 35-flowered, dense, globose; peduncle to 12+ cm, short. |
many, axillary to leaves, 7–15-flowered, loose to dense, hemispherical to spherical; peduncle 0.5–2.3 cm. |
Flowers | perianth greenish; tepals 35–45 mm; anthers equaling or shorter than filaments; ovules (1–)2 per locule; pedicel 0.5–1.5 cm. |
perianth green; tepals 3–6 mm; anthers ± 1/5 as long as filaments; ovule 1 per locule; pedicel (0.3–)0.5–0.7(–1) cm. |
Berries | bluish black to black, subglobose, 8–10 mm, glaucous. |
black, globose to compressed, 5.5–8 mm, glaucous. |
Vines | ; rhizomes irregularly tuberous, branched, thick, to 1.5+ m. Stems perennial, climbing, greenish or reddish brown, terete, 10+ m × 27 mm, woody, glabrous, glaucous when young; prickles few, scattered, recurved, flattened, 3–4 mm. |
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2n | = 26. |
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Smilax lasioneura |
Smilax smallii |
|
Phenology | Flowering May–Jun. | Flowering Jun–Jul. |
Habitat | Rich, alluvial woods, thickets, borders | Rich woods, pinewoods, streambanks, edges of fields, swamp margins, ditches, well-drained but not dry soils |
Elevation | 300–700 m (1000–2300 ft) | 0–600 m (0–2000 ft) |
Distribution |
AL; AR; FL; GA; IA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MI; MN; MO; MS; MT; ND; NE; NY; OH; OK; PA; SD; TN; TX; WI; WY; MB; ON; SK
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AL; AR; DC; DE; FL; GA; LA; MD; MS; NC; OK; SC; TX; VA |
Discussion | Smilax lasioneura is primarily distributed in the central plains and lower elevations of the Appalachian and Rocky mountains. Plants distributed in the southern humid areas tend to be larger than those of more northern areas. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Smilax smallii is the highest-climbing species of Smilax within the flora and it is particularly conspicuous during the winter. It has been used as an ornamental and as a winter decoration, primarily in the Christmas trade. The starchy rhizomes and succulent, immature stems were used for food by Native Americans and early settlers. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 26, p. 474. | FNA vol. 26, p. 477. |
Parent taxa | Smilacaceae > Smilax | Smilacaceae > Smilax |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Coprosmanthus lasioneuron, Nemexia herbacea subsp. melica, Nemexia lasioneura, Nemexia tenuis, S. diversifolia, S. herbacea var. inodora, S. herbacea subsp. lasioneura, S. herbacea var. lasioneura, S. tenuis | S. cinnamomiifolia, S. ovata |
Name authority | Hooker: Fl. Bor.-Amer. 2: 173, plate 187A. (1840) | Morong: Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 21: 430. (1894) |
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