greenbriers
Smilax
Smilax is a genus of about 300–350 species, found in the tropics and subtropics worldwide. They are climbing flowering plants, many of which are woody and/or thorny, in the monocotyledon family Smilacaceae, native throughout the tropical and subtropical regions of the world.
Common names include catbriers, greenbriers, prickly-ivys and smilaxes. Sarsaparilla (also zarzaparrilla, sarsparilla) is a name used specifically for the Neotropical S. ornata as well as a catch-all term in particular for American species. Occasionally, the non-woody species such as the smooth herbaceous greenbrier (S. herbacea) are separated as genus Nemexia; they are commonly known by the rather ambiguous name carrion flowers.
60 branches of this genus, most-observed first
saw greenbrier
speciesSmilax bona-nox
roundleaf greenbrier
speciesSmilax rotundifolia
Carrionflowers
sectionNemexia
Rough Bindweed
speciesSmilax aspera
bristly greenbrier
speciesSmilax tamnoides
sawbrier
speciesSmilax glauca
Earleaf Greenbrier
speciesSmilax auriculata
Lanceleaf Greenbrier
speciesSmilax smallii
Austral Sarsaparilla
speciesSmilax australis
Bearded Smilax
speciesSmilax bracteata
East Asian greenbrier
speciesSmilax china
laurel-leaf greenbrier
speciesSmilax laurifolia
sarsaparilla vine
speciesSmilax pumila
Sweet Sarsaparilla
speciesSmilax glyciphylla
Leg-Ripper
speciesSmilax anceps
Smilax lanceifolia
speciesSmilax lanceifolia
Larger Smilax
speciesSmilax excelsa
Coral Greenbrier
speciesSmilax walteri
Smilax japonica
speciesSmilax japonica
Glabrous Greenbrier
speciesSmilax glabra
Smilax campestris
speciesSmilax campestris
Everglades Greenbrier
speciesSmilax havanensis
Hoi kuahiwi
speciesSmilax melastomifolia
California Greenbrier
speciesSmilax californica
Smilax ocreata
speciesSmilax ocreata
Smilax moranensis
speciesSmilax moranensis
Smilax tomentosa
speciesSmilax tomentosa
Smilax sieboldii
speciesSmilax sieboldii
Smilax domingensis
speciesSmilax domingensis
Azores smilax
speciesSmilax azorica
Smilax zeylanica
speciesSmilax zeylanica
Smilax canariensis
speciesSmilax canariensis
Smilax arisanensis
speciesSmilax arisanensis
Dunguey blanco
speciesSmilax coriacea
Smilax spinosa
speciesSmilax spinosa
Bearded Smilax
speciesSmilax setosa
Smilax corbularia
speciesSmilax corbularia
Smilax elongatoumbellata
speciesSmilax elongatoumbellata
Smilax seisuiensis
speciesSmilax seisuiensis
Smilax discotis
speciesSmilax discotis
Smilax vaginata
speciesSmilax vaginata
Smilax horridiramula
speciesSmilax horridiramula
Smilax ovalifolia
speciesSmilax ovalifolia
Smilax stans
speciesSmilax stans
Smilax nantoensis
speciesSmilax nantoensis
Smilax davidiana
speciesSmilax davidiana
Smilax luei
speciesSmilax luei
Smilax glaucochina
speciesSmilax glaucochina
Smilax subpubescens
speciesSmilax subpubescens
Smilax rufescens
speciesSmilax rufescens
Long-leaved Greenbrier
speciesSmilax hypoglauca
Smilax aberrans
speciesSmilax aberrans
Smilax hayatae
speciesSmilax hayatae
Smilax insularis
speciesSmilax insularis
Smilax cissoides
speciesSmilax cissoides
Smilax fluminensis
speciesSmilax fluminensis
Smilax mollis
speciesSmilax mollis
Smilax perfoliata
speciesSmilax perfoliata
Smilax aculeatissima
speciesSmilax aculeatissima
Smilax siphilitica
speciesSmilax siphilitica
Where it lives
Recorded sightings
—
geo-referenced records in GBIF, from museums, herbaria and field observers.
Drag the globe to turn it. Dots are where records exist, not a range map; darker means more records.
In the old herbals & bestiaries
Illustrated Compendium of Materia Medica (Vol. 21)
吳其濬 · 1848 · p.101
Notable Commentaries on the History of Plants
Leonhart Fuchs · 1549 · p.752
The Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands, Vol. 1
Mark Catesby · 1777 · p.158
Notable Commentaries on the History of Plants
Leonhart Fuchs · 1549 · p.750
The Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands, Vol. 1
Mark Catesby · 1777 · p.173
The Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands, Vol. 1
Mark Catesby · 1777 · p.62
The Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands, Vol. 1
Mark Catesby · 1777 · p.170
Notable Commentaries on the History of Plants
Leonhart Fuchs · 1542 · p.752
Notable Commentaries on the History of Plants
Leonhart Fuchs · 1542 · p.754
Notable Commentaries on the History of Plants
Leonhart Fuchs · 1542 · p.742
Notable Commentaries on the History of Plants
Leonhart Fuchs · 1549 · p.740
On Medical Materials in Six Books
Dioscorides · 1550 · p.620
In the stacks
Searching the stacks…
Every page naming Smilax in the Biodiversity Heritage Library →
This page is assembled live from iNaturalist, GBIF, Wikipedia, the Source Library and the Internet Archive. It is not yet part of the hand-edited codex. iNaturalist taxon 60748.