Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Monocots: Liliales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Smilax walteri
FAMILY
Smilacaceae
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 walteri
FAMILY
Smilacaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America
Smilax walteri
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 041-02-008:
Smilax walteri FAMILY Liliaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH The woody Smilaxes of the United States (Coker, 1944)
Smilax walteri
SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Smilax walteri
COMMON NAME:
Coral Greenbrier, Red-berried Swamp Smilax
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_smwa_001_lvd
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USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / USDA Wetland flora: Field office illustrated guide pnd_smwa_005_lvd
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Alan S. Weakley asw_1192704605014315
January
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Alan S. Weakley asw_880411316712687
January
)
Will Stuart wil_8373861597_4c27264e4d
January Chesterfield County SC
Carolina Sandhills National Wildlife Refuge
Often tightly wound around Titi or Nyssa biflora at pond edges. — Will Stuart
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JK Marlow jkm160416_310
April Lowndes County GA
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JK Marlow jkm160416_313
April Lowndes County GA
Perianth brownish-yellow (vs. perianth green in S. smallii), per Weakley's Flora (2020).
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JK Marlow jkm150519_088
May Calhoun County SC
Congaree Bluffs Heritage Preserve
)
JK Marlow jkm141023_229
October Greenville County SC
Swamp Rabbit Trail
Leaves often with a red mid-vein and petiole; berries bright red, per Weakley's Flora (2022).
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JK Marlow jkm141025_265268
October Greenville County SC
Swamp Rabbit Trail
Leaves of S. walteri almost always rounded at the base, whereas those of S. smallii are cuneate, per Weakley's Flora (2022).
)
JK Marlow jkm141025_271
October Greenville County SC
Swamp Rabbit Trail
Its relatively narrow leaves can resemble S. smallii, but are thicker textured, per Weakley's Flora (2022).
)
JK Marlow jkm141025_279
October Greenville County SC
Swamp Rabbit Trail
The only totally deciduous greenbrier in SC, per Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 1st ed. (Porcher & Rayner, 2001).
)
JK Marlow jkm141025_292
October Greenville County SC
Swamp Rabbit Trail
Contrary to the books, these particular berries each had only one or two seeds.
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Smilax walteri
FAMILY
Smilacaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Smilax walteri
FAMILY
Smilacaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America
Smilax walteri
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 041-02-008:
Smilax walteri
FAMILY
Liliaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
The woody Smilaxes of the United States (Coker, 1944)
Smilax walteri
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Smilax walteri
1406
Woody vine
Perennial
Dioecious
Habitat: swamp forests, bogs, wooded seeps, often where submersed for at least part of the year, per Weakley's Flora
Native to the Carolinas & Georgia
Common in Coastal Plain (rare in Piedmont)
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images 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.)
IS THE PLANT "ARMED"?
Stems usually sparsely armed with broadbased prickles
LEAVES:
Deciduous
Simple
Alternate
FLOWER:
Spring
Yellowish/Brownish
Radially symmetrical
6 tepals
6 stamens in staminate flowers
Superior ovary
Unisexual
Flowers in axillary umbels
FRUIT:
Summer/Fall
Red
Berry
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 1st ed. (Porcher & Rayner, 2001) p295
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 2nd ed. (McMillan, Porcher, Rayner, & White; 2022) p441
- How to Recognize Shrubs (Grimm, 1966) p075
- Native Shrubs and Woody Vines of the Southeast (Foote & Jones, 1989) p053
- Wildflowers of the Carolina Lowcountry (Porcher, 1995) p128
- Field Guide to the Wildflowers of Georgia (Chafin, 2016) p420
- Woody Plants of the Southeastern US: A Winter Guide (Lance, 2004) p332
- Wildflowers of the Sandhills Region (Sorrie, 2011) p284
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