Family:
Smilacaceae Vent.

Smilax L.

This genus is accepted, and its native range is Tropics & Subtropics to N. America.

[FTEA]

Smilacaceae, E.J. Cowley. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1989

Morphology General Habit
Perennial, woody or herbaceous, branched climbers
Morphology Branches
Branchlets aculeate or not
Morphology Leaves
Leaves glabrous, often evergreen, usually alternate; blade rounded, lanceolate, elliptic, hastate or cordate to cordate-circular, with reticulate veining; petiole short, articulate above the sheath, usually with pair of stipular tendrils
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence compound or simple, long or short; umbels axillary and/or terminal, 1-many
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers small, usually yellowish green, sometimes fragrant Male flowers with usually 6 stamens; filaments free, hypogynous or inserted on the base of the slightly longer tepals, erect or erecto-patent, short or long; anthers basifixed Female flowers with 3-6 staminodes; ovary ovoid; ovules 1 per locule, axile, pendulous, orthotropous
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Perianth
Perianth-segments free to base, caducous during or after anthesis, subequal, inner ones usually narrower than outer ones
sex Male
Male flowers with usually 6 stamens; filaments free, hypogynous or inserted on the base of the slightly longer tepals, erect or erecto-patent, short or long; anthers basifixed
sex Female
Female flowers with 3-6 staminodes; ovary ovoid; ovules 1 per locule, axile, pendulous, orthotropous
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Berry ± globose, black, red, violet or purple when ripe
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds with small oblong embryo enclosed in hard endosperm.

Doubtfully present in:

Inner Mongolia

Native to:

Afghanistan, Alabama, Albania, Algeria, Andaman Is., Angola, Argentina Northeast, Argentina Northwest, Arkansas, Assam, Azores, Bahamas, Baleares, Bangladesh, Belize, Benin, Bermuda, Bismarck Archipelago, Bolivia, Borneo, Brazil North, Brazil Northeast, Brazil South, Brazil Southeast, Brazil West-Central, Bulgaria, Burkina, Burundi, California, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canary Is., Cape Provinces, Caroline Is., Cayman Is., Central African Repu, Chad, China North-Central, China South-Central, China Southeast, Colombia, Colorado, Comoros, Congo, Connecticut, Corse, Costa Rica, Cuba, Cyprus, Delaware, District of Columbia, Dominican Republic, East Aegean Is., East Himalaya, Ecuador, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Florida, France, French Guiana, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Gulf of Guinea Is., Guyana, Hainan, Haiti, Hawaii, Honduras, Illinois, India, Indiana, Iowa, Iran, Italy, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Japan, Jawa, Kansas, Kentucky, Kenya, Korea, Kriti, KwaZulu-Natal, Laos, Lebanon-Syria, Leeward Is., Lesser Sunda Is., Liberia, Libya, Louisiana, Madagascar, Madeira, Maine, Malawi, Malaya, Mali, Maluku, Manchuria, Manitoba, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mauritius, Mexico Central, Mexico Gulf, Mexico Northeast, Mexico Northwest, Mexico Southeast, Mexico Southwest, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nansei-shoto, Nebraska, Nepal, New Brunswick, New Caledonia, New Guinea, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New South Wales, New York, Nicaragua, Nicobar Is., Nigeria, Norfolk Is., North Carolina, North Caucasus, North Dakota, Northern Provinces, Northern Territory, Nova Scotia, Ogasawara-shoto, Ohio, Oklahoma, Ontario, Oregon, Pakistan, Palestine, Panamá, Paraguay, Pennsylvania, Peru, Philippines, Portugal, Primorye, Puerto Rico, Queensland, Québec, Rhode I., Rwanda, Réunion, Sardegna, Saskatchewan, Senegal, Sicilia, Sierra Leone, Solomon Is., South Carolina, South Dakota, Southwest Caribbean, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Sulawesi, Sumatera, Suriname, Swaziland, Taiwan, Tanzania, Tennessee, Texas, Thailand, Tibet, Togo, Tonga, Transcaucasus, Trinidad-Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkey-in-Europe, Turks-Caicos Is., Uganda, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Venezuelan Antilles, Vermont, Victoria, Vietnam, Virginia, West Himalaya, West Virginia, Western Australia, Windward Is., Wisconsin, Wyoming, Yugoslavia, Zambia, Zaïre, Zimbabwe

Introduced into:

Romania

Smilax L. appears in other Kew resources:

Date Reference Identified As Barcode Type Status
Willis, F.R. [56], Indonesia 71463.000
Harley, R.M. [22474], Brazil 72762.000
Spruce, R. [s.n.], Ecuador K000201313
Zappi, D.C. [454], Espírito Santo K000828366
Figueiredo, L. [4], Pernambuco K000828374
Gasson, P. [5939], Bahia K000828360
Harley, R.M. [14191], Bahia K000828376
Freire, E. [29], Pernambuco K000828361
Harley, R. [5984], Bahia K000828377
Mori, S.A. [14468], Bahia K000828369
Ganev, W. [2383], Bahia K000828358
Passos, L. [5770], Bahia K000828375
Eiten, G. [10756], Maranhão K000828365
Harley, R.M. [28437], Bahia K000828370
Cordeiro, T. [826], Minas Gerais K000828362
Krukoff, B.A. [8286], Amazonas K000828364
Delprete, P.G. [8956], Goiás K000828367
Harley, R.M. [54143], Pernambuco K000828371
Stannard, B. [5631], Bahia K000828372
Queiroz, L.P. [2097], Bahia K000828368
Maas, P.J.M. [7045], Bahia K000828363
Maciel, U.N. [540], Pará K000828373
Stannard, B. [51156], Bahia K000828359

First published in Sp. Pl.: 1028 (1753)

Accepted by

  • Ferrufino-Acosta, L. (2010). Taxonomic revision of the genus Smilax (Smilacaceae) in Central America and the Caribbean islands Willdenowia 40: 227-280.

Literature

Flora of West Tropical Africa

  • F.T.A. 7: 423.
  • Sp. Pl. 1028 (1753)

Flora of Tropical East Africa

  • Bak. in F.T.A. 7: 423 (1898)
  • Hepper in F.W.T.A., ed. 2, 3: 111 (1968)
  • L., Gen. Pl., ed. 5:455 (1754)
  • Sp. Pl.: 1028 (1753)

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    Flora of Tropical East Africa
    http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2022. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
    © Copyright 2017 World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2022. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
    © Copyright 2017 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Science Photographs

    Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/