Description edit
Smilax bona-nox, also know as saw greenbrier, is a flowering vine that is prickly with a one seeded fruit. This plants needs full sun but can also survive in partial shade. It prefers moist soil but is tolerant of numerous soil types. They are commonly found in wooded areas that are disturbed, this is because they grow up other vegetation. Smilax bona-nox is either male or female as they cant be on the same plant.[1][2][3][4]
Smilax bona-nox produces fruits that are dispersed by animals. Fruits are one seeded drupes, they look similar to small grapes. They are black and blue in color. The fruits are edible to humans and wildlife. Fruit harvest is during the Fall and Summer months. [3]
Bullbriar, Catbriar, Dunes Saw Greenbrier, Greenbriar, Streychberry Vine, and Tramp's Trouble are common names for Smilax bona-nox.[4][5]
Distribution edit
Smilax bona-nox ranges across much of the eastern part of the U.S. It is distributed far south as southern Florida, west to the edge of Texas and eastern Mexico, north to Maryland, Kentucky and southern parts of Indiana and Illinois, Missouri and Southeastern Kansas. Smilax bona-nox also occurs in Bermuda and Mexico.[4]
Smilax-bona-nox are dispersed by being eaten by wildlife. Mainly small animals and songbird partake in their fruits but they are also eaten by deer and black bears. [6]
Cultivation edit
Smilax bona-nox is easy to grow by seed, and should be grown near lattice work or near something it can climb. This is a climbing plant that needs something to hold onto. Should also be given plenty of room as it will grow quickly and will shade other plants. [7]
Ethnobotany edit
Smilax bona-nox had many uses. The leaves of this plant were used for cigarette wrappers by the Native Americans. The roots can not only be used to make bread but also as medicines. The roots of this plant are known to help urinary tract infections as well as an antioxidant.[3]
Edibility edit
Smilax bona-nox is edible whether cooked or not. If cooked, the roots can be made into gelatin if grounded into a powder. Younger shoots are edible raw or cooked. The fruits are also edible, they are black and blue. [3][8]
Control edit
Smilax bona-nox can be controlled with herbicides but has been know to adapt to the effects of it. It has also been known to not be effected at all. Some herbicides have been known to also help it grow instead of causing it to die. Another way that Smilax bona-nox can also be controlled by fire but it returns due to respiration. [9]
Wildlife edit
Many animals use Smilax bona-nox fruits as food includes, wood ducks, ruffed grouse, wild turkey, fish crows, black bears, opossums, racoons, squirrels, and multiple different species of songbirds. Both the leaves and fruit are occasionally eaten by white-tailed deer.
The leaves and growth of the plant are used for shelter for smaller mammals. It is used to helped smaller mammals to hide from both larger mammals and from predator birds. The prickles on the plant are for protection from larger herbivores.[3]
Fire Ecology edit
The Smilax bona-nox is tolerant to the occasional control burns and natural fires. Because they have rhizomes under ground, it allows them to still sprout even when they have lost the tops of their plants. Corn-like forms can grow along with their rhizomes. [10]
Resources edit
- ^ "Smilax bona-nox | International Plant Names Index". www.ipni.org. Retrieved 2021-11-12.
- ^ "USDA Plants Database". plants.sc.egov.usda.gov. Retrieved 2021-11-12.
- ^ a b c d e "Smilax bona-nox (Bullbriar, Catbriar, Dunes Saw Greenbrier, Greenbriar, Saw Greenbrier, Stretchberry Vine, Tramp's Trouble) | North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox". plants.ces.ncsu.edu. Retrieved 2021-10-20.
- ^ a b c "Smilax bona-nox". www.fs.fed.us. Retrieved 2021-10-20.
- ^ "Smilax bona-nox L. — The Plant List". www.theplantlist.org. Retrieved 2021-11-12.
- ^ "Smilax bona-nox". www.fs.fed.us. Retrieved 2021-11-12.
- ^ Cullen, James (February 2006). "544. Smilax Bona-nox 'Cantab'. Smilacaceae". Curtis's Botanical Magazine. 23 (1): 25–29. doi:10.1111/j.1355-4905.2006.00508.x. ISSN 1355-4905.
- ^ "Smilax bona-nox - Useful Temperate Plants". temperate.theferns.info. Retrieved 2021-11-30.
- ^ Janak, Travis Wayne. "Evaluation of Various Herbicides for Saw Greenbrier [Smilax bona-nox L.] and Southern Dewberry [Rubus trivialis Michx.] Control and Bermudagrass [Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers.] Tolerance and Sharppod Morningglory [Ipomoea trichocarpa var. trichocarpa Ell.] Control in Roundup Ready Flex® and LibertyLink® Cotton Systems".
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ Hulnik, Frank Wayne (1974). "ffect of Fire on the Growth of Rhus Glabra L. and Smilax Bona-Nox L." (PDF).
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help)