Smilax pulverulenta |
Smilax glauca |
|
---|---|---|
downy carrionflower |
cat greenbrier, glaucous-leaf Greenbriar, sawbrier, wild sarsaparilla |
|
Habit | Herbs. | |
Stems | annual, climbing, branching, to 2.5 m, herbaceous, glabrous; prickles absent. |
perennial, climbing, branching, green, often mottled, terete, to 5+ m, woody, glaucous, glabrous; prickles, when present, thin, 1–5 mm. |
Leaves | evenly distributed; petiole ± equaling blade; tendrils numerous, long, functional; blade lustrous, dark green abaxially, narrowly to broadly ovate, 8–16 × 3.5–9 cm, often with minute, whitish pubescence abaxially mostly on veins, with transparent trichomes, base cordate, margins entire, convex, apex long-acuminate; leaves on branches with oblong, smaller blade. |
deciduous to semi evergreen, ± evenly disposed; petiole 0.5–1.5 cm; blade green to glaucous-green, often mottled adaxially, silvery grayish abaxially, drying to brownish tan adaxially, broadly ovate, elliptic to reniform, with 3 (or 5) conspicuous veins, 4.5–11 × 2.5–6.6 cm, glabrous and glaucous abaxially, base truncate, subcordate, or attenuate, margins entire, apex rounded, tapering, or short-acuminate. |
Umbels | numerous, axillary to leaves, 10–35-flowered, globose; peduncle equaling or shorter than subtending leaf. |
few to many, axillary to leaves, 5–12+-flowered, open, umbellate to hemispherical; peduncle 2–5 cm. |
Flowers | perianth greenish; tepals 3.5–5 mm; anthers shorter than filaments, ovules (1–)2 per locule; pedicel 0.5–2.2 cm. |
perianth yellow to bronze; tepals 3–7 mm; anthers longer than filaments; ovule 1 per locule; pedicel 0.5–1 cm. |
Berries | black, subglobose, 8–10 mm, not glaucous. |
blue to black, subglobose, 8–10 mm, shiny black at maturity, glaucous. |
Vines | ; rhizomes tuberous, or spinose, linear. |
|
2n | = 26. |
= 28, 32. |
Smilax pulverulenta |
Smilax glauca |
|
Phenology | Flowering Apr–Jun. | Flowering May–Jul. |
Habitat | Rich woods, thickets, usually in calcareous soils | Dry to wet woods, thickets, hedge- rows, roadsides |
Elevation | 0–900 m (0–3000 ft) | 0–800 m (0–2600 ft) |
Distribution |
AR; DC; DE; IL; IN; KY; MD; MN; MO; NC; NE; NJ; NY; PA; TN; VA; WV
|
AL; AR; CT; DC; DE; FL; GA; IL; IN; KY; LA; MD; MO; MS; NC; NJ; NY; OH; OK; PA; SC; TN; TX; VA; WV
|
Discussion | The distribution of Smilax pulverulenta is disjunct. The eastern distribution is centered in the mid-Atlantic United States, while the western distribution is centered in the Ozark Plateau of Missouri. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Smilax glauca is easily recognized by its glaucous to whitened abaxial leaf surfaces, which, however, may be altered by heat in drying. It is reportedly the most weedy species of the genus. The plants tend to be evergreen in the more southern part of the distribution. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 26, p. 476. | FNA vol. 26, p. 473. |
Parent taxa | Smilacaceae > Smilax | Smilacaceae > Smilax |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | S. herbacea var. pulverulenta | S. glauca var. leurophylla, S. spinulosa |
Name authority | Michaux: Fl. Bor.-Amer. 2: 238. (1803) | Walter: Fl. Carol., 245. (1788) |
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