The Smooth Carrion Flower is distinguished from other species of Smilax because it is not thorny and it lacks hairs on the underside of the leaf. It also has a very long stem that holds the berry bunch on the vine. The plants of Smilax are dioecious - the male and female flowers are on separate plants and are therefore not self-fertile.

Smilax herbacea, the smooth carrionflower[2] or smooth herbaceous greenbrier, is a plant in the catbriar family. It is native to eastern Canada (Quebec, Ontario, New Brunswick) and the eastern United States (as far south as Georgia and Alabama). [3][4] Its preferred natural habitat is rich forests, and riparian thicket and meadows.

Description: This climbing non-woody vine is a herbaceous perennial up to 8' long that branches occasionally. The light green to purple stems are terete, slightly speckled, glabrous, and often glaucous.

Carrion-flower gets its name from its unpleasant smelling flowers, which attract carrion flies as pollinators. The growing tips, including the unfolding leaves, can be eaten raw in a salad or boiled as a potherb.

Common Carrionflower, Smooth Carrionflower. Phen: May-Jun; Aug-Oct. Hab: Moist deciduous forests. Dist: Centered in the Appalachian Mountains, from QC and ME west to MI, south to AL, GA, and TN. ID notes: Young, non-flowering plants closely resemble S. biltmoreana. Origin/Endemic status: Native.

Smilacaceae Vent. - Catbrier family P.

2008年3月19日 · Smilax is the sole genus in the Smilacaceae. Ethnobotanical Uses: S. herbacea has multiple medicinal and edible uses. The young shoots, berries, and root can all be eaten. Only the root must be cooked. It has been said that S. herbacea can be used to treat hoarseness, as a dressing for burns and boils, and that the root is an analgesic.

Tall herbaceous annual vine (2 m) of moist forests; stems not prickly, climbing with numerous tendrils; leaves ovate, without hairs underneath; flowers greenish, borne in round clusters. Information is summarized from MNFI's database of rare species and community occurrences.

注：名称已修订，正名是： 尖叶牛尾菜 Smilax riparia var. acuminata

Smilax herbacea - Smooth Carrionflower, Jacob's Ladder, Common Carrion-flower. Smilax is a large genus of around 255 species, the only species in Smilacaceae since the genus Heterosmilax has been merged into Smilax. Plants in the genus occur around the world in temporate and tropical regions.