Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Monocots: Liliales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Smilax bona-nox var. littoralis
FAMILY
Smilacaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Compared with var. bona-nox, var. littoralis is not a high-climber; it tends to scramble over the ground or on shrubs. Read more at Vascular Plants of North Carolina website.
INCLUDED WITHIN
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Smilax bona-nox
FAMILY
Smilacaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Smilax bona-nox var. littoralis
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. littoralis
INCLUDED WITHIN Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Smilax bona-nox
COMMON NAME:
Maritime Catbrier, Maritime Saw Greenbrier
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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Alan S. Weakley asw_10231861213089304
July Georgetown County SC
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Alan S. Weakley asw_10231861436214882
July Georgetown County SC
One seed.
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Alan S. Weakley asw_10231861438054928
July Georgetown County SC
)
Alan S. Weakley asw_10231861438494939
July Georgetown County SC
Usually unarmed.
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Alan S. Weakley asw_1348395905996694
December Georgetown County SC
Leaves with 7-11 primary veins, per Weakley's Flora (2022).
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Alan S. Weakley asw_2491703784324851
December Georgetown County SC
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Alan S. Weakley asw_648156183720680
December Georgetown County SC
One seed per berry. — Alan Weakley
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Alan S. Weakley asw_740519743906925
December Georgetown County SC
Margin of the leaf blade with a prominent marginal cartilaginous band, per Weakley's Flora (2022).
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Smilax bona-nox var. littoralis
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. littoralis
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. littoralis
INCLUDED WITHIN
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Smilax bona-nox
4308
Woody vine
Perennial
Dioecious
Habitat: dunes, maritime thickets, maritime forests, per Weakley's Flora
Native to the Carolinas & Georgia
Uncommon
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!
If a search such as "Carex leptalea var. leptalea" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "Carex leptalea".
Or, to minimize chances of a misspelling, try just "Carex le".
Less is more: If "pencil flower" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "pencil".