Roundleaf greenbrier

Description

Smilax rotundifolia, also known as roundleaf greenbrier or common greenbrier, is a woody vine native to the southeastern and eastern United States and eastern Canada. It is a common and conspicuous part of the natural forest ecosystems in much of its native range. The leaves are glossy green, petioled, alternate, and circular to heart-shaped. They are generally 5–13 cm long. Common greenbrier climbs other plants using green tendrils growing out of the petioles. The stems are rounded and green and are armed with sharp thorns. The flowers are greenish white, and are produced from April to August. The fruit is a bluish black berry that ripens in September. The young shoots of common greenbrier are reported to be excellent when cooked like asparagus. The young leaves and tendrils can be prepared like spinach or added directly to salads. Being familiar with eating Smilax is a familiar trait in the South Carolina Lowcountry, where Smilax is often called 'chaineybriar.' The roots have a natural gelling agent in them that can be extracted and used as a thickening agent. Like its common names suggest, Smilax rotundifolia is a green vine with thorns. It is a crawling vine that can tangle itself within other plants and climb with small tendrils. The plant can grow up to 20 feet long by climbing objects and vegetation. If there is nothing for it to climb upon it will grow along the ground. It has woody stems that are pale green in color and are glabrous, the youngest of which are often square-shaped. As the vine dies, the stem turns from green to a dark brown color. Along the stem there are often black-tipped thorns that are about 1/3-inch-long. Some stems of Common green brier do not have thorns. The upper surfaces of the leaves are darker than the undersides. The rounded alternate leaves are about 2 to 5 inches long. The leaves are glabrous and never glaucous. There are 3 to 5 primary veins per leaf. Along the lower surfaces of the primary veins it is possible to find small prickles but they are not always present. The petioles are a quarter to half an inch long, light green in color and glabrous. Small sheaths with terminal tendrils are present at the base of each petiole. Common greenbrier has greenish white flowers that form in umbels of 3–20 flowers. The peduncles upon which the umbels of flowers are borne originate from the axils of the leaves.