 |
|
Resources < Wildlife Habitats < Guide to Native Plants of Georgia for Wildlife < Smilax smallii
Lanceleaf Greenbrier is a beautiful species of the genus Smilax, and perhaps the most ornamental of these common vines. It is the highest-climbing Greenbrier and is highly ornamental in winter when its evergreen foliage and juicy red to black berries are left standing in the midst of other dormant forest plants. It climbs by tendrils, and is a much safer choice than non-native English Ivy, which attaches by aerial roots so strong they can pull paint, boards, and mortar from your house! English Ivy provides little benefit for wildlife also, and certainly doesn’t have Lanceleaf Greenbrier’s wonderful berries in winter.
Lanceleaf Greenbrier establishes rapidly and is perfect when quick results are desired. It can be pruned back to a manageable size at any time, and can be trained along almost any surface. Because it attaches by tendrils, it doesn’t climb without the help of wires, other plants, or trellises, thus preventing damage to walls and other solid surfaces.
Lanceleaf Greenbrier was an important food for Native Americans and early American colonists and pioneers. The starchy rhizomes were cooked and eaten, as were the succulent immature shoots, which some say taste wonderful when buttered and salted.
Smilacaeae (Greenbrier)
Evergreen vine with lanceolate to ovate smooth, glossy leaves, attaching by means of tendrils. Young canes are smooth and green while older canes turn woody and grow stout spines.. Flowers are inconspicuous, tiny, and green, in late spring. Fruits are dark red to black and juicy. It is evergreen through fall and winter, unlike some other Smilaxes.
High-climbing; height depends on supporting objects
High-climbing evergreen vine
Extremely fast
Partial to full shade
Lanceleaf Greenbrier establishes rapidly and is tolerant of most soils types and moisture levels. The only challenge with this plant is to keep it cut back if a formal landscape style is desired. It is versatile and can be easily trained along trellises, fences, or other plants and trees. Otherwise, let it run amok for a natural feel to a woodland environment.
Lanceleaf Greenbrier’s assets include the glossy foliage, its evergreen habit to provide winter interest, and its juicy fruits for wildlife.
Lanceleaf Greenbrier is a versatile vine, which can be shaped for any landscape style, trained on wires or trellises, on deck railings, or simply allowed to naturalize. It adds a very natural “jungle” feel to woodlands, where its stems hang down from the trees in abundance.
Lanceleaf Greenbrier is common and native to the southeastern US Coastal Plain, where it favors swamps, floodplains, hammocks, bluffs, dunes, open upland woods, thickets and roadsides.
The foliage of Lanceleaf Greenbrier is a host for the Olive Hairstreak butterfly, whose adult has a wonderful olive tinge along its wing margins.
The fruit is eaten by Wild Turkey, Ruffed Grouse, fish crow, mockingbird, catbird, robin, hermit thrush, Brown Thrasher, Pileated Woodpecker, and Northern Bobwhite. White-tailed deer and rabbits browse on the foliage and young shoots, while beavers often eat the tubers. Brier thickets provide great cover for birds and rabbits and allow them to build safe and secure nests.
Stratified, cleaned seeds, cuttings, root division
Also known as Greenbrier,
Saw brier,
Catbrier,
Bullbrier,
Bamboo Vine,
Jacksonvine,
Jacksonbrier
Text by Kevin Tarner, Georgia Wildlife Federation
|
