Native & Naturalized Plants of the Carolinas & Georgia

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4308

Woody vine
Perennial
Dioecious

Native to the Carolinas & Georgia

Documented growing wild in GA NC SC

Uncommon in Coastal Plain

Look for it on dunes, in maritime thickets, maritime forests (dry maritime habitats), per Weakley's Flora

map
To see a detailed map, click here

 

IS THE PLANT "ARMED"?
Stems usually armed with prickles

LEAVES:
Deciduous/Partially evergreen
Simple
Alternate

FLOWER:
Spring
Yellowish-green/Brownish
Unisexual
Radially symmetrical
6 tepals
6 stamens in staminate flowers
Superior ovary
Flowers in axillary umbels

FRUIT:
Summer/Fall
Black
Berry

 

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



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

WEAKLEY'S FLORA (6/30/18):
 Smilax bona-nox var. littoralis   FAMILY Smilacaceae

INCLUDED WITHIN PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
 Smilax bona-nox   FAMILY Smilacaceae

INCLUDED WITHIN VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 041-02-005?:
 Smilax bona-nox   FAMILY Liliaceae

 

COMMON NAME:
 Maritime Catbrier, Maritime Saw Greenbrier

Click or hover over the thumbnails to see larger pictures.

image of Smilax bona-nox var. littoralis, Maritime Catbrier, Maritime Saw Greenbrier

USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913    pnd_smbo2_001_lvd

        

image of Smilax bona-nox var. littoralis, Maritime Catbrier, Maritime Saw Greenbrier

USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / USDA Wetland flora: Field office illustrated guide    pnd_smbo2_004_lvd