Smilax glauca Walter

White Leaf Catbrier; White Leaf Greenbrier; Saw Brier

Vine

Perennial

Vascular

White Leaf Catbrier is a native perennial vine in the Greeenbrier family (Smilacaceae). It is found throughout Alabama. White Leaf Catbrier grows in a wide variety of habitats, but is most noticeable in disturbed areas. White Leaf Catbrier is a perennial from thick rhizomes. The stems are green in color and often glaucous. They become black with age. Stems are round in cross section, glabrous, and armed with prickles. The vines climb by tendrils. Leaves are alternate, petiolate, ovate to elliptic in outline, glabrous, with 3 prominent veins. The leaves are green above and glaucous (white) below. The leaves are evergreen in the southern portions of the state and deciduous in northern areas. Flowers are produced in umbels from the axils of the leaves. The flowers are greenish in color. They are followed by blue-black berries that often have a white waxy coating. This is one of the easier species of Catbrier to recognize due to the white (glaucous) undersides of the leaves. The fruit are eaten by birds which disperse the seed.--A. Diamond

**

Native FAC (NWPL)

**