Roundleaf Greenbrier

Appearance

Like its common name suggests "Common Green Brier" ''Smilax rotundifolia'' is a green vine with prickles. It also has rounded alternate leaves about 2 to 5 inches long. ''Smilax rotundifolia'' is a crawling vine that will in tangle its self within other plants and crawls with small tendrils.

The woody vine can grow up to 20 feet long and climb various objects and vegetation around it using tendrils. If there is nothing for it to cling onto it will grow across the ground. It has woody stems that are pale green in color and glabrous with four sides as the vine dies it goes from a green color to a dark brown color. Along the stem there are prickles that are about 1/3-inch-long. Illinois wild flowers describes the prickles as. Some stems of Common green brier can be found without prickles on them. The upper and bottom of the leaves are different shades of green with the top being darker than the bottom. The leaves are glabrous and never glaucus.

There are 3 to 5 primary veins per leaf with parallel venation. 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 sheathe at the base of each petiole, there is a pair of small sheathes that end with tendrils.

Common greenbrier has white flowers that form in umbels of 3-20 flowers about half an inch to two inches long. The white flowers grow out from the axils of the leaves. Flowers are produced on different vines since they are male and female. Both Male and female flowers are about the same size at a quarter inch long. these flowers will bloom for about two weeks between late spring and early summer. After this blooming period is over the female flowers are replaced by a berry.Like its common name suggests "Common Green Brier" ''Smilax rotundifolia'' is a green vine with prickles. It also has rounded alternate leaves about 2 to 5 inches long that are glabrous. ''Smilax rotundifolia'' is a crawling vine that will in tangle its self within other plants and crawls with small tendrils.

Distribution

''Smilax rotundifolia'' is found in the eastern half of the continental United States including Texas, South Dakota, and Oklahoma with the exception of Vermont. It ranges from Florida north into Northern Ontario. ''Smilax rotundifolia'' is native to the USA.

Common greenbrier grows in roadsides, landscapes, clearings and woods. In clearings it often forms dense and impassable thickets.

Status

For most of states ''S. rotundifolia'' is categorized as Least Concern due to its relative abundance. It has also been recorded as an invasive species in many areas.

Habitat

''Smilax rotundifolia'' grows from rhizomes so it can resist fire by resprouting. Fires that open the canopies of dense forests encourage the growth of ''Smilax rotundifolia.''

In New Hampshire it was found that ''Smilax rotundifolia'' responds to fire with rapid vigorous vegetative growth in the spring and fall. This was found in a prescribed burn in a white pine forest with low intensity flames flame heights). After two years the amount of ''Smilax rotundifolia'' was back to the original density. Using different frequency’s and intensities of fire no difference was found.''Smilax rotundifolia'' is found in the eastern half of the continental United States including Texas, South Dakota, and Oklahoma with the exception of Vermont. It ranges from Florida north into Northern Ontario. ''Smilax rotundifolia'' is native to the USA.

Common greenbrier grows in roadsides, landscapes, clearings and woods. In clearings it often forms dense and impassable thickets.

Uses

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. The roots have a natural gelling agent in them that can be extracted and used as a thickening agent.