Smilax pulverulenta |
Smilax smallii |
|
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downy carrionflower |
cantaque, lanceleaf greenbrier |
|
Habit | Herbs. | |
Stems | annual, climbing, branching, to 2.5 m, herbaceous, glabrous; prickles absent. |
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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. |
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 | numerous, axillary to leaves, 10–35-flowered, globose; peduncle equaling or shorter than subtending leaf. |
many, axillary to leaves, 7–15-flowered, loose to dense, hemispherical to spherical; peduncle 0.5–2.3 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 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 | black, subglobose, 8–10 mm, not 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 pulverulenta |
Smilax smallii |
|
Phenology | Flowering Apr–Jun. | Flowering Jun–Jul. |
Habitat | Rich woods, thickets, usually in calcareous soils | Rich woods, pinewoods, streambanks, edges of fields, swamp margins, ditches, well-drained but not dry soils |
Elevation | 0–900 m (0–3000 ft) | 0–600 m (0–2000 ft) |
Distribution |
AR; DC; DE; IL; IN; KY; MD; MN; MO; NC; NE; NJ; NY; PA; TN; VA; WV
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AL; AR; DC; DE; FL; GA; LA; MD; MS; NC; OK; SC; TX; VA |
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 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. 476. | FNA vol. 26, p. 477. |
Parent taxa | Smilacaceae > Smilax | Smilacaceae > Smilax |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | S. herbacea var. pulverulenta | S. cinnamomiifolia, S. ovata |
Name authority | Michaux: Fl. Bor.-Amer. 2: 238. (1803) | Morong: Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 21: 430. (1894) |
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