Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Monocots: Liliales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Smilax bona-nox var. bona-nox
FAMILY
Smilacaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
You may also want to check Trees, Shrubs, and Woody Vines of North Carolina
You can eat this, according to EatTheWeeds.com
The leaf margins of Smilax bona-nox are beset with numerous small spines, unlike other Smilax species. Read more at Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
INCLUDED WITHIN
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Smilax bona-nox
FAMILY
Smilacaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Smilax bona-nox var. bona-nox
INCLUDED WITHIN Flora of North America
Smilax bona-nox
INCLUDED WITHIN VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 041-02-005:
Smilax bona-nox FAMILY Liliaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH The woody Smilaxes of the United States (Coker, 1944)
Smilax bona-nox var. bona-nox
INCLUDED WITHIN Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Smilax bona-nox
COMMON NAME:
Fringed Greenbrier, Catbrier, Stretchberry, Tramp's Trouble
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
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USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913 pnd_smbo2_001_lvd
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USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / USDA Wetland flora: Field office illustrated guide pnd_smbo2_004_lvd
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JK Marlow jkm0502b_03
February Greenville County SC
Chandler Heritage Preserve
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JK Marlow s050227_f
February Horry County SC
Myrtle Beach State Park
A vine that usually forms low thickets rather than climbing high, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
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JK Marlow s050227_q
February Horry County SC
Myrtle Beach State Park
Leaves very variable in shape. Stem usually 4-angled, per Forest Plants of the Southeast and Their Wildlife Uses (Miller & Miller, 2005).
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JK Marlow s050227_rb
February Horry County SC
Myrtle Beach State Park
Leaves entire or bristly ciliate, often variegated with lighter green, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
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JK Marlow jkm140523_139
May Greenville County SC
Swamp Rabbit Trail
Stalk of the umbel > 1.5x as long as the subtending leaf petiole, per Weakley's Flora (2012).
)
JK Marlow jkm140523_142
May Greenville County SC
Swamp Rabbit Trail
)
JK Marlow jkm140523_143
May Greenville County SC
Swamp Rabbit Trail
Midvein (below) little if any more pronounced than principal lateral veins, per Weakley's Flora (2012).
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JK Marlow jkm190508_8223
May Greenville County SC
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Keith Bradley kab_smilax_bona_nox_77385
July Miami-Dade County FL
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Keith Bradley kab_smilax_bona_nox_77394
July Miami-Dade County FL
)
JK Marlow jkm101120_244
November Greenville County SC
Lake Conestee Nature Park
)
JK Marlow jkm101120_247
November Greenville County SC
Lake Conestee Nature Park
Stems (especially the lower) and prickles brownish stellate-scurfy, per Weakley's Flora.
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Smilax bona-nox var. bona-nox
FAMILY
Smilacaceae
INCLUDED WITHIN
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Smilax bona-nox
FAMILY
Smilacaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Smilax bona-nox var. bona-nox
INCLUDED WITHIN
Flora of North America
Smilax bona-nox
INCLUDED WITHIN
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 041-02-005:
Smilax bona-nox
FAMILY
Liliaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
The woody Smilaxes of the United States (Coker, 1944)
Smilax bona-nox var. bona-nox
INCLUDED WITHIN
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Smilax bona-nox
1395
Woody vine
Perennial
Dioecious
Habitat: Dry to mesic forests and woodlands, bottomland and riparian forests, bluffs, hardwood flatwoods, pine flatwoods, prairies, old fields, fencerows, pastures, roadsides, per Weakley's Flora
Native to the Carolinas & Georgia
Common
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
IS THE PLANT "ARMED"?
Stems usually armed with prickles
LEAVES:
Deciduous/Partially evergreen
Simple
Alternate
FLOWER:
Spring
Yellowish-green/Brownish
Radially symmetrical
6 tepals
6 stamens in staminate flowers
Superior ovary
Unisexual
Flowers in axillary umbels
FRUIT:
Summer/Fall
Black
Berry
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Forest Plants of the Southeast and Their Wildlife Uses (Miller & Miller, 2005) p290
- How to Recognize Shrubs (Grimm, 1966) p072
- Native Shrubs and Woody Vines of the Southeast (Foote & Jones, 1989) p052
- Guide to the Plants of Granite Outcrops (Murdy & Carter, 2000) p44
- Woody Plants of the Blue Ridge (Lance) p21
- Woody Plants of the Southeastern US: A Winter Guide (Lance, 2004) p332
- Wildflowers of the Sandhills Region (Sorrie, 2011) p254
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