About Smilax glauca Walter
Smilax glauca Walter is a monocot woody liana (vine), an evergreen dioecious climber that can reach up to 5 meters in height. It can grow over trees, shrubs, or stumps. This species thrives in full sun to semi-shade, and can grow in sandy, loamy, and clay soils, succeeding in most soil types. It has simple leaves, with one leaf per node; its leaves die in winter. It flowers in June, and remains leafy throughout most of the year. Flowers of this species have six tepals. Staminate flowers have six stamens, while ovule-bearing pistillate flowers have one superior ovary. Smilax glauca produces fleshy berries, which typically develop in winter. This plant is native to much of the Atlantic coast of the United States, and also occurs throughout the southeastern US, including in Ocala National Forest in Florida. It grows in a variety of habitats including disturbed areas, forest edges, grasslands, and wetlands. Smilax glauca is fire resistant. When exposed to fire, it is typically top-killed, but resprouts readily from its rhizomes. Canopy openings created by fire benefit this species, and it increases in importance after fire in upland southern pine forests.
