Smilax auriculata Walter

Dune Greenbrier; Ear Leaf Greenbrier; Sand Bamboo

Vine

Perennial

Vascular

Dune Greenbrier is a perennial native evergreen vine in the Greenbrier family (Smilacaceae). It is found in the southernmost tier of Alabama’s counties. Dune Greenbrier grows on dunes, in sandhills, in xeric longleaf pine forests, or in other areas of deep sand. It is a woody vine that twines over the soil or climbs by tendrils a few feet up shrubs and trees. Dune Greenbriar is a perennial from elongate rhizomes or short potato-like tubers. The stems are green in color, zig-zag, round in cross section, and glabrous. Older stems often become reddish-orange near the base. The stems are usually un-armed or armed with a few prickles. Leaves are alternate, evergreen, petiolate, oblong to oblong-lanceolate in outline, often with a hastate base. The leaves are entire and glabrous or minutely pubescent on the lower surface. Each leaf has 3 prominent veins. Flowers are produced in axillary umbels of 5-8 greenish-yellow flowers. The fruit is a purple-black berry that is often glaucous. Dune Greenbrier is not usually as massive or as high-climbing as other members of the family. It is also not as well armed as some other members of the family, having only scattered prickles on its stems. It resembles the more widespread Saw Greenbrier (Smilax bona-nox Linnaeus), but is a smaller plant with smaller leaves. The stalks of the fruit clusters are longer in Dune Greenbrier, and each fruit has two or three seed as opposed to one seed per fruit in Saw Greenbrier.--A. Diamond

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Native FACU (NWPL)

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