OF THE CAROLINAS & GEORGIA

Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Monocots: Liliales

WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Smilax pumila   FAMILY Smilacaceae   Go to FSUS key



SYNONYMOUS WITH PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Smilax pumila   FAMILY Smilacaceae

SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America

Smilax pumila

SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 041-02-012:

Smilax pumila   FAMILY Liliaceae

SYNONYMOUS WITH The woody Smilaxes of the United States (Coker, 1944)

Smilax pumila

Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)

Smilax pumila

 

COMMON NAME:
Dwarf Smilax, Sarsaparilla-vine


         To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.

image of Smilax pumila, Dwarf Smilax, Sarsaparilla-vine

Richard and Teresa Ware    rtw_s_pumila_sarsaparilla

March        

Berry bright red, ovoid, tapered to an obtuse beak, 1-seeded, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).

image of Smilax pumila, Dwarf Smilax, Sarsaparilla-vine

JK Marlow    jkm090717_059

July    Georgetown County    SC

Hobcaw Barony

Stem woody, lacking prickles. Plant rarely greater than 0.5m tall, per Weakley's Flora.

image of Smilax pumila, Dwarf Smilax, Sarsaparilla-vine

JK Marlow    jkm090717_083

July    Georgetown County    SC

Hobcaw Barony

This unusual Smilax is sometimes cultivated as an ornamental ground-cover, per Weakley's Flora (2018).

image of Smilax pumila, Dwarf Smilax, Sarsaparilla-vine

JK Marlow    jkm090717_083b

July    Georgetown County    SC

Hobcaw Barony

Leaves green and pilose to glabrate above, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).

image of Smilax pumila, Dwarf Smilax, Sarsaparilla-vine

JK Marlow    jkm090717_087

July    Georgetown County    SC

Hobcaw Barony

Leaves white or grayish-white tomentose beneath, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).

image of Smilax pumila, Dwarf Smilax, Sarsaparilla-vine

Sharleen Johnson    shj_1214059299204683

December    Charleston County    SC

Francis Marion National Forest

 

 

WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Smilax pumila   FAMILY Smilacaceae

SYNONYMOUS WITH PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Smilax pumila   FAMILY Smilacaceae

SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America
Smilax pumila

SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 041-02-012:
Smilax pumila   FAMILY Liliaceae

SYNONYMOUS WITH The woody Smilaxes of the United States (Coker, 1944)
Smilax pumila

Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Smilax pumila

 

Find by SCIENTIFIC NAME:

1401

Trailing woody vine
Perennial
Dioecious

Habitat: Mesic to dryish hammocks and bluffs, sandy forests along streams, northward primarily in maritime-influenced mainland forests, per Weakley's Flora

Native to South Carolina & Georgia

Common in Coastal Plain (rare elsewhere)

map
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.

IS THE PLANT "ARMED"?
Not armed

LEAVES:
Evergreen
Simple
Alternate

FLOWER:
Fall
Yellowish
Radially symmetrical
6 tepals
6 stamens in staminate flowers
Superior ovary
Unisexual

Flowers in axillary umbels

FRUIT:
Winter/Spring
Red
Berry

 

TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!



 


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