keys to the vascular plants of east texas - Botanical Research ...

1124 SMILACACEAE/SMILAX
Smilax smallii Morong, (for its discoverer, John Kunkel Small, 1869–1938, botanist at New York
Botanical Garden and author of numerous works, including Manual of the Southeastern Flora),
SMALL’S GREENBRIER, CORAL GREENBRIER, JACKSONBRIER, BAMBOOVINE, JACKSONVINE, THORNLESS
SMILAX, LANCE-LEAF GREENBRIER, SOUTHERN SMILAX. Often very high climbing, very robust
plant; large, thick, tuberous rhizomes present (to 30 kg in weight and 1.8 m in length) (White
1998; W. Holmes, pers. comm.), with the texture of a very hard apple (Coker 1944), but long
slender rhizomes absent; stems thick, to 20(–27) mm in diam., armed with scattered prickles
below but mostly without prickles above, the prickles flattened, recurved, 3–4 mm long; leaves
evergreen, the blades thin-coriaceous, to 6.6 cm long, lanceolate to elliptic-lanceolate, usually 2
times as long as wide or longer, with 5(–7) main veins, cuneate basally, bright green on upper
surface, often glaucous below on younger branches, sometimes mottled, the margins smooth,
not thickened; peduncles ca. 4–10(–23) mm long, usually ca. as long as petiole of the subtending
leaf; fruits dull red to reddish brown, globose to subglobose, ca. 6 mm in diam. Along creeks,
woodlands; Pineywoods and Post Oak Savannah w to Milam (BRIT), Falls, Kaufman (BAYLU),
and Bastrop (Turner et al. 2003) cos., also a Reverchon collection from Dallas (BRIT); also n Gulf
Prairies and Marshes; se U.S. from DE s to FL w to OK and TX. May–Jun. [S. lanceolata L.] This
species can be confused with another very robust, very high climbing species, S. laurifolia, but
can be distinguished by its less coriaceous leaves with 5–7 main veins and the � reddish fruits.
Material of this evergreen is sometimes used for winter decoration, and the species is also used as
an ornamental vine (Coker 1944). Vines (1960) reported that “The large tubers were ground into
a flour and made into bread or a cooling drink by the Indians and early settlers.” This species is
also apparently the source of “red coontie,” a jelly prepared by Native Americans of the southeastern
United States (Coker 1944). In addition, the “succulent, immature stems were used for
food by Native Americans and early settlers” (Holmes 2002c). Holmes (2002c) noted that this is
the highest-climbing species of Smilax in North America, reaching 10+ m in height. Initially,
the tuberous rhizomes are � linear, but when the above ground stem reaches a diam. of ca. 0.7
cm, the plant becomes sexual and the rhizomes branch. Further, there is a correlation between
above ground stem diam. and the mass of the rhizome (White 1998; W. Holmes, pers. comm.).
Smilax tamnoides L., (resembling Tamnus, a genus in the Dioscoreaceae), CHINAROOT,
HELLFETTER, BRISTLE GREENBRIER, DEVIL GREENBRIER, HAGBRIER, WILD SARSAPARILLA. Plant usually
high-climbing; short, knotty, non-prickly rhizomes present but without either long slender
rhizomes or tuberous rhizomes; lower stems with relatively weak, somewhat bristle-like, usually
dark, � blackish prickles ca. 3–10 mm long (this character is unique among the East TX
species); leaves semi-deciduous to � persistent; leaf blades of flowering branches to 13 cm long,
ovate or rounded in outline, the sides � curved outward, almost never indented, green on both
sides, the base rounded to cordate, the margins not thickened but obscurely minutely serrulate
in basal half; peduncles 15–65 mm long, much longer than subtending petioles; fruits black,
globose to ovoid, 6–10 mm long. Stream bottom woods, sandy or less often silty clay soils; widespread
in e 1/2 of TX; se Canada (Ont.) and e U.S. from NY s to FL w to SD and TX. Apr–May. [S.
hispida Muhl. ex Torr.] This is one of the most abundant GREENBRIERS in much of East TX.
Smilax walteri Pursh, (“for Thomas Walter (?)1740–1789” [who first found the species]—Fernald
1950), RED-BEAD GREENBRIER, WALTER’S GREENBRIER, CORAL GREENBRIER, RED-BERRIED BAMBOO,
SARSAPARILLA. Plant climbing and clambering; long, slender, non-prickly, rhizomes present but
tuberous rhizomes absent; stems slender, with prickles on lower half, the prickles mostly �
awl-shaped; leaves � deciduous; tendrils numerous; leaf blades firm-membranous, ovate-lanceolate
to ovate-oblong, rather uniform in shape, usually 6–12 cm long, 3–7 cm wide, the base
rounded, drying a distinctive light orange tinged with brown; petioles often reddish; peduncles
5–20 mm long, usually shorter than the subtending petioles; fruits bright red to orange, globose
or ovoid, 7–9 mm long. Wet habitats such as sandy stream, pond, or swamp margins, sometimes
actually in water; Hardin, Nacogdoches (BRIT), Newton (BAYLU), Angelina, Jasper, and Orange