Vines and Climbing Plants of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands

Vines and Climbing Plants of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands 443
Phenology: Collected in fertile condition in
October and January.
Status: Native, locally common.
7. Family SMILACACEAE
1. SMILAX
Distribution: In forests, pastures, and along
rivers, in moist areas, at middle and lower
elevations.
Public Forests: Guajataca, Maricao, Río
Abajo, and Susúa.
Herbaceous or slightly woody vines, dioecious, with farinaceous rhizomes. Stems cylindrical, strong
and flexible, sometimes with spines. Leaves alternate, simple, with the main veins arcuate, parallel;
petioles with a pair of filamentous tendrils at their union with the leaf sheath. Flowers unisexual, 3merous,
actinomorphic, produced in axillary umbels. Staminate flowers with 6 stamens, the anthers
basifixed. Pistillate flowers usually with staminodia; ovary 3-carpellate, with 1 or 2 ovules per carpel.
Fruit fleshy, with 1-6 seeds. A genus of tropical or temperate vines, of about 350 species.
Key to the species of Smilax
1a. Leaves coriaceous to rigid-coriaceous, with the margins usually spiny and the apex obtuse or acute;
stems spiny ......................………..….........………….........…....................1. S. coriacea
1b. Leaves chartaceous, with the margins entire and the apex acuminate; stems not spiny
.........……………………………………………………………………….....2. S. domingensis
1. Smilax coriacea Spreng., Syst. Veg. 2: 103.
1825.
Fig. 184. A-F
SYNONYMS: Smilax ilicifolia sensu Boldingh non Desv.
Smilax havanensis var. portoricensis A. DC.
Smilax guianensis var. subarmata O.E. Schulz
Smilax coriacea var. ilicifolia O.E. Schulz
Smilax subarmata O.E. Schulz
Dunguey, Dunguey blanco, Green briar
Slightly woody vine that climbs by means of
tendrils and attains 5 m or more in length. Stems
slender, strong, flexible, puberulent or glabrous,
covered with small recurved spines. Leaves
coriaceous or rigid-coriaceous, 5.5-12(18) × 2.6-
9(12.5) cm, ovate, elliptical, oblong, lanceolate,
or linear, 3-7-veined, the apex obtuse, acute, or
less frequently rounded or slightly retuse,
mucronate, the base rounded, obtuse, or
cordiform, the margins revolute and usually spiny;
upper surface dark green, shiny, glabrous, with
the midvein prominent, the margins revolute and
usually spiny; petioles 0.5-2 cm long, articulated
at the apex, forming a sheath at the base, from
which two simple tendrils are borne.
Inflorescences axillary, umbelliform, these solitary
or on short flexuous branches, lacking leaves.
Flowers greenish or yellowish. Staminate flowers
with pedicels ca. 5 mm long, tepals oblong,
reflexed, 2-3 mm long. Pistillate flowers with
pedicels ca. 3 mm long; tepals ovate, erect, 1.5-
1.8 mm long. Fruits globose or depressed-globose,
5-7 mm in diameter, black when ripe.
Phenology: Flowering from January to March
and from June to August and fruiting from
September to January.
Status: Native, very common.
Distribution: Of widespread distribution, in
coastal thickets, dry forests, and moist forests of
the Cordillera Central. Also on Vieques, Guana
Is., St. Croix, St. John, St. Thomas, Tortola, Virgin
Gorda; Hispaniola and the Lesser Antilles.