Smilax rotundifolia
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Photo Courtesy Renee Brecht |
Britton & Brown |
| Botanical name: | Smilax rotundifolia |
| Common name: | roundleaf greenbrier |
| Group: | monocot |
| Family: | Smilacaceae |
| Growth type: | forb/herb |
| Duration: | perennial |
| Origin: | native |
| Plant height: | climbs plants by means of tendrils |
| Foliage: | glossy, simple, alternate, ovate or rounded leaves; round, green stems with prickles |
| Flower: | greenish yellow |
| Flowering time: | early May to late June; dark bluish-black fruit late May to August, persisting to October. |
| Habitat: | moist to dryish, open woods, wet shaded edges sand dunes, fields |
| Range in New Jersey: | statewide |
| Heritage ranking, if any: | n/a |
| Distribution: |  |
| Misc.: | The young shoots are edible and are considered by some to be the most flavorful of the Smilax. Stone, in 1910, says "This is the commonest and stoutest of the Greenbriers. While apparently not common in the Pine Barrens proper, it makes the thickets along the edge of the coast strip almost impenetrable with its strong woody stems and stout thorns" (352) |