Aloes and Lilies of Ethiopia and Eritrea

Fig. 137. Smilax aspera, Chilimo forest, Shewa floristic region.
Smilax aspera
Description
Habitat and
distribution
2. Smilax aspera L.
SMILAX 323
The species epithet refers to asper which means rough or
rugged and refers to the prickly habit of the whole plant. It
was described by Linnaeus in 1753 from material grown
in a European botanic garden. The species is recognised
by a racemose inflorescence that consists of several fewflowered
umbels along a rachis. It is in general more
prickly than the former species.
Climbing shrubs with slender woody stems up to 5 m long, often
with prickly spines in the lower parts. Leaves alternate, petiole 2–4
cm long, often with prickles, flattened with two coiling tendrils,
blade 3–12 × 1–9 cm, leathery, triangular to elliptic with cordate
to truncate base, 5–7 nerved from base to apex, sometimes with
prickles on margin and major nerves. Inflorescence of small umbels
along branched or unbranched axes, 2.5–7.5 cm long, each umbel
with 3–10 flowers; pedicels 2–5 mm. Tepals 2.5–4 × 0.8–1.3 mm,
white or cream; male flowers with stamens 3 mm long; female
flowers with staminodes and ovary 2–2.5 mm long, style absent,
stigma 3­branched. Berry 4–8 mm in diameter, globose, green when
unripe, maturing to red or purple. Seeds few, 3 mm in diameter.
The species grows in forests or forest edges, scrambling
over shrubs and trees, sometimes along roadsides between
1900 and 3200 m. It is recorded from Welo, Shewa, Arsi,
Kefa, Sidamo, and Harerge floristic regions in Ethiopia