Common Greenbriar
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| iCommon Greenbriar | ||||||||||||||
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| Smilax rotundifolia L. |
Common Greenbriar (Smilax rotundifolia), also known as Common Greenbrier, is a common woody vine native to the Eastern United States [1]. The leaves are glossy green, petioled, alternate, and circular to heart-shaped. They are generally 5-13 cm long. Common greenbriar climbs other plants using green tendrils growing out of the petioles [1].
The stems are round, green and have sharp prickles growing on them. The prickles can be damaging if one gets entangled in a patch of them. The flowers are greenish, and are seen from April to August, the fruit they produce are bluish black berries that become ripe in September [1].
[edit] Cultivation and uses
Common greenbriar grows in roadsides, landscapes, clearings and woods. When it is growing around a clearing, it often forms dense and impassable thickets [1]. It grows throughout the Eastern United States, as far north as Illinois, south to Florida and as far west as Texas [1].
The young shoots of common greenbriar are reported to be excellent cooked like asparagus [2]. The young leaves and tendrils can be prepared like spinach or added directly to salads [2]. The roots have natural gelatin in them that can be extracted and used as a thickening agent [2].
[edit] References
- 1) Richard H. Uva, Joseph C. Neal and Joseph M. Ditomaso, Weeds of The Northeast, (Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1997), Pp. 338-339.
- 2) Lee Allen Peterson, Edible Wild Plants, (New York City: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1977), P. 198.
