Smilax auriculata explained

Smilax auriculata is a North American plant species native to the Bahamas, the Turks & Caicos Islands, and the southeastern United States. Common names include earleaf greenbrier and wild-bamboo, despite the fact that it is not closely related to bamboo. It is reported from Florida, Georgia, North and South Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana.^{[1] [2]} It grows on coastal sand dunes and in sun-lit locations in sandy woodlands at elevations of less than 100 m (333 feet).^{[3] [4] [5]}

Smilax auriculata is a perennial vine, producing underground rhizomes and sometimes tubers. Plants are climbers with zigzag branching, sometimes reaching a height of 9 m (30 feet). Prickles on the stem are flattened and rigid, about 4 mm (0.16 inches) long. Leaves are evergreen, narrowly ovate, not waxy, up to 8.5 cm (3.4 inches) long. Flowers are green, borne in umbels of 3–8 flowers. Berries are dark purple, almost black, about 6 mm (0.24 inches) in diameter.^{[6] [7] [8] [9] [10]}

Notes and References

1. http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/namedetail.do?name_id=288546 Kew World Checklist of Plant Families
2. http://bonap.net/MapGallery/County/Smilax%20auriculata.png Biota of North America Program 2014 county distribution map
3. http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=242101925 Flora of North America v 26 p 471.
4. Correll, D.S. & Correll, H.B. (1982). Flora of the Bahama Archipelago: 1-1692. J.Cramer, Vaduz
5. Ferrufino-Acosta, L. 2010. Taxonomic revision of the genus Smilax (Smilacaceae) in Central America and the Caribbean islands. Willdenowia 40: 227-280.
6. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/10001313#page/252/mode/1up Walter, Thomas. Flora Caroliniana, secundum 245. 1788.
7. Ferrufino-Acosta, L. 2010. Taxonomic revision of the genus Smilax (Smilacaceae) in Central America and the Caribbean Islands. Willdenowia 40: 227–280.
8. Godfrey, R. K. & J. W. Wooten. 1979. Aquatic and Wetland Plants of Southeastern United States Monocotyledons 1–712. The University of Georgia Press, Athens.
9. Wunderlin, R. P. 1998. Guide to the Vascular Plants of Florida i–x, 1–806. University Press of Florida, Gainesville.
10. Long, R. W. & O. K. Lakela. 1971. A Flora of Tropical Florida: A Manual of the Seed Plants and Ferns of Southern Peninsular Florida i–xvii, 1–962. University of Miami Press, Coral Cables.