Smilax herbacea
{{Short description|Species of flowering plant}}
{{Speciesbox
| image = Smilax herbacea Tennessee.jpg
| image_caption =
| genus = Smilax
| parent = Smilax sect. Nemexia
| species = herbacea
| authority = L.
| synonyms_ref = [http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/synonomy.do?name_id=289196 Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families]
| synonyms =
{{collapsible list|bullets = true
|title=Synonymy
|Coprosmanthus herbaceus (L.) Kunth
|Nemexia herbacea (L.) Small
|Smilax peduncularis Muhl. ex Willd.
|Nemexia cerulea Raf.
|Nemexia nigra Raf.
|Smilax longifolia P.Watson 1825, not Rich. 1792
|Smilax watsonii Sweet
|Coprosmanthus consanguineus Kunth
|Coprosmanthus peduncularis (Muhl. ex Willd.) Kunth
}}}}
Smilax herbacea, the smooth carrionflower{{PLANTS|id=SMHE|taxon=Smilax herbacea|accessdate=16 November 2015}} or smooth herbaceous greenbrier, is a plant in the catbriar family. It is native to eastern Canada (Quebec, Ontario, New Brunswick) and the eastern United States (as far south as Georgia and Alabama).[http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/namedetail.do?name_id=289196 Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families][http://bonap.net/MapGallery/County/Smilax%20herbacea.png Biota of North America Program 2014 county distribution map] Its preferred natural habitat is rich forests, and riparian thicket and meadows.[http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=242101932 Flora of North America Vol. 26 Page 473 Carrion-flower, Jacob’s-ladder, smilax herbacé, Smilax herbacea Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 2: 1030. 1753. ]
Description
Smilax herbacea is a vine with alternate, simple leaves, on climbing stems. The flowers are green, borne in spring. The plant looks like asparagus when it first sprouts out of the ground. The plant can grow over 8 feet tall without support, but will eventually fall over unless it successfully finds external support.
File:Picture of smilax flower as it develops.jpg|Flower in bud
File:Smilax sprout at 2' height.jpg|Young sprout at 2' height
File:Smilax herbacea.png|Line drawing showing floral details
File:Early Smilax herbacea flower.jpg|flower prior to opening
Uses
= Food =
The species can be used as food when prepared in the same fashion as Smilax bona-nox and Smilax rotundifolia.{{Cite book|last=Elias|first=Thomas S.|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/244766414|title=Edible Wild Plants: A North American Field Guide to Over 200 Natural Foods|last2=Dykeman|first2=Peter A.|publisher=Sterling|year=2009|isbn=978-1-4027-6715-9|location=New York|pages=66|oclc=244766414|orig-year=1982}}
=Ethnobotany=
In traditional Ainu medicine, applications of the softened leaves were used for healing eye infections, skin eruptions, and wounds.{{cite journal|author=Batchelor, John|authorlink=John Batchelor (missionary)|author2=Miyabe, Kingo|title=Ainu economic plants|year=1893|journal=Transactions of the Asiatic Society of Japan|volume=XXI|page=212|url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=hvd.32044106472277;view=1up;seq=20}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q7544565}}
Category:Flora of Northern America
Category:Plants described in 1753
Category:Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus
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