Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Monocots: Liliales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA (6/30/18):
Smilax herbacea
FAMILY
Smilacaceae
NEW! Click to go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Learn more from the Vascular Plants of North Carolina website.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Smilax herbacea
FAMILY
Smilacaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 041-02-002a:
Smilax herbacea var. herbacea
FAMILY
Liliaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Nemexia herbacea
COMMON NAME:
Common Carrionflower, Smooth Carrionflower
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_smhe_001_lvd
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JK Marlow jkm0505k_15
May Haywood County NC
Corneille Bryan Native Garden
)
JK Marlow jkm120505_053
May Rabun County GA
Chattahoochee National Forest
Leaf bases cordate, margins convex in outline, per Weakley's Flora.
)
JK Marlow jkm140519_921
May Jackson County NC
Big Ridge Preserve
)
JK Marlow jkm150508_966c
May Union County GA
)
JK Marlow jkm150508_970
May Union County GA
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JK Marlow jkm0406i_22
June Macon County NC
Nantahala National Forest: Wayah Bald
Peduncles 5-8x long as the subtending petioles, per Weakley's Flora.
)
JK Marlow jkm0406i_23
June Macon County NC
Nantahala National Forest: Wayah Bald
Flowers in axillary umbels, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas.
)
JK Marlow jkm090607_005b
June Haywood County NC
Blue Ridge Parkway
Sepals, petals, and carpels 3; stamens 6, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas.
)
JK Marlow jkm090607_009
June Haywood County NC
Blue Ridge Parkway
Tendrils present and numerous, per Weakley's Flora.
)
JK Marlow jkm200606_5702
June Haywood County NC
Blue Ridge Parkway
)
JK Marlow jkm060805_412
August Haywood County NC
Blue Ridge Parkway
)
JK Marlow jkm060805_423
August Haywood County NC
Blue Ridge Parkway
)
JK Marlow jkm060805_428
August Haywood County NC
Blue Ridge Parkway
)
JK Marlow jkm060805_429
August Haywood County NC
Blue Ridge Parkway
)
JK Marlow jkm060813_177
August Haywood County NC
Blue Ridge Parkway
Stem herbaceous, lacking prickles. Plant vine-like, climbing or sprawling, per Weakley's Flora.
)
JK Marlow jkm060813_181
August Haywood County NC
Blue Ridge Parkway
)
JK Marlow jkm060813_187
August Haywood County NC
Blue Ridge Parkway
)
JK Marlow jkm0509j_05
September Transylvania County NC
Silver Run Preserve
)
Ron Lance rwl_smilaxherbacea
September Jackson County NC
Fruit dark blue and glaucous, per Weakley's Flora.
)
JK Marlow jkm111008_862
October Jackson County NC
Balsam Mountain Preserve
)
JK Marlow jkm111008_890
October Jackson County NC
Balsam Mountain Preserve
Smilax herbacea at the bottom left; Dioscorea on the upper right
WEAKLEY'S FLORA (6/30/18):
Smilax herbacea
FAMILY
Smilacaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Smilax herbacea
FAMILY
Smilacaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 041-02-002a:
Smilax herbacea var. herbacea
FAMILY
Liliaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Nemexia herbacea
1399
Herbaceous vine (with tendrils)
Perennial
Dioecious
Native to the Carolinas & Georgia
Documented growing wild in GA NC SC
Common (uncommon in GA Coastal Plain, rare in NC-SC Coastal Plain)
Habitat: Moist deciduous forests, per Weakley's Flora
NEW! Click here to see a range map (and maybe identification notes) from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
Click here to see a map showing all occurrences known to SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria. (Zoom in to see more detail.)
LEAVES:
Simple
Alternate
FLOWER:
Spring/Summer
Yellowish-green
Unisexual
Radially symmetrical
6 tepals
6 stamens in staminate flowers
Superior ovary
Flowers in spherical umbels from leaf axils
FRUIT:
Summer/Fall
Black
Berry
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Newcomb's Wildflower Guide p348
- Wild Flowers of NC, 1st edition p016
- Wild Flowers of NC, 2nd edition p016
- Wildflowers of Tennessee p383
- Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and the Southern Appalachians p439
- Wildflowers & Plant Communities of the Southern Appalachian Mountains and Piedmont p440
- Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains p017