Smilax laurifolia
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Photo Courtesy Renee Brecht |
Britton & Brown |
| Botanical name: | Smilax laurifolia |
| Common name: | Laurel leaved greenbriar |
| Group: | monocot |
| Family: | Smilacaceae |
| Growth type: | Subshrub Shrub Vine |
| Duration: | perennial |
| Origin: | native |
| Plant height: | climbing vine |
| Foliage: | climbs; leaves evergreen, thick and leathery, 3 prominent veins; 2-6 inches long, pointed on both ends; upright angle to stem; petiole 1/8 to 1/4 inch |
| Flower: | greenish to white; Few to many, small, greenish, in umbels in the leaf axis. |
| Flowering time: | Flowers late Summer. Fruits black, clusters of 5-25, ripening in Fall in second season, about 14 months after flowering. |
| Habitat: | Swamps, bogs, and floodplains |
| Heritage ranking, if any: | S3/S4 |
| Distribution: |  |
| Misc.: | USDA notes as a facultative wetland
species; usually (67-99%) found in wetlands. Eflora.org notes: " The stems of Smilax laurifolia are viciously armed." Smilax is an ancient Greek name for an evergreen oak; laurifolia refers to the resemblance of the leaves to those of laurel. |