Smilax auriculata
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Liliales
Family: Smilacaceae
Genus: Smilax
Species:
S. auriculata
Binomial name
Smilax auriculata
Synonyms[1]
  • Smilax beyrichii Kunth
  • Smilax lata Small
  • Smilax ovata Elliott 1824, illegitimate homonym not Duhamel 1803

Smilax auriculata is a North American plant species native to the Bahamas, the Turks & Caicos Islands, and the southeastern United States. Common names include earleaf greenbrier[2] and wild-bamboo, despite the fact that it is not closely related to bamboo. It is reported from Florida, Georgia, North and South Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana.[3][4] It grows on coastal sand dunes and in sun-lit locations in sandy woodlands at elevations of less than 100 m (333 feet).[5][6][7]

Smilax auriculata is a perennial vine, producing underground rhizomes and sometimes tubers. Plants are climbers with zigzag branching, sometimes reaching a height of 9 m (30 feet). Prickles on the stem are flattened and rigid, about 4 mm (0.16 inches) long. Leaves are evergreen, narrowly ovate, not waxy, up to 8.5 cm (3.4 inches) long. Flowers are green, borne in umbels of 3–8 flowers. Berries are dark purple, almost black, about 6 mm (0.24 inches) in diameter.[8][9][10][11][12]

References

  1. ^ The Plant List
  2. ^ USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Smilax auriculata". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 16 November 2015.
  3. ^ Kew World Checklist of Plant Families
  4. ^ Biota of North America Program 2014 county distribution map
  5. ^ Flora of North America v 26 p 471.
  6. ^ Correll, D.S. & Correll, H.B. (1982). Flora of the Bahama Archipelago: 1-1692. J.Cramer, Vaduz
  7. ^ Ferrufino-Acosta, L. 2010. Taxonomic revision of the genus Smilax (Smilacaceae) in Central America and the Caribbean islands. Willdenowia 40: 227-280.
  8. ^ Walter, Thomas. Flora Caroliniana, secundum 245. 1788.
  9. ^ Ferrufino-Acosta, L. 2010. Taxonomic revision of the genus Smilax (Smilacaceae) in Central America and the Caribbean Islands. Willdenowia 40: 227–280.
  10. ^ Godfrey, R. K. & J. W. Wooten. 1979. Aquatic and Wetland Plants of Southeastern United States Monocotyledons 1–712. The University of Georgia Press, Athens.
  11. ^ Wunderlin, R. P. 1998. Guide to the Vascular Plants of Florida i–x, 1–806. University Press of Florida, Gainesville.
  12. ^ Long, R. W. & O. K. Lakela. 1971. A Flora of Tropical Florida: A Manual of the Seed Plants and Ferns of Southern Peninsular Florida i–xvii, 1–962. University of Miami Press, Coral Cables.
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