Smilax bona-nox

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Distribution Map: Based on vouchered plant specimens only. View county names by placing the mouse cursor over a particular county.

Family:SMILACACEAE
Species:Smilax bona-nox L.
Common Name:Saw Greenbrier; Fringed Greenbrier; Bullbrier
Habitat:**
Associated Ecological Communities:**
Growth Habit:Vine
Duration:Perennial
Category:Vascular
USDA Symbol:SMBO2
Plant Notes:Saw Greenbrier is a perennial native deciduous or evergreen vine in the Greenbrier family (Smilacaceae). It is found throughout Alabama. Saw Greenbrier grows on fence rows, on roadsides, in dry upland pine or hardwood forests, and on floodplains. It is a perennial from elongate, woody, tuberous rhizomes or stolons. Saw Greenbrier is a woody vine that is semi-erect to twining and climbing by tendrils on shrubs and trees. The stems are often zigzag towards the tips and can be up to 20 feet in length. Stems are greenish in color, branched, rounded to 4-angled, glabrous or pubescent with stellate hairs, and with stout, flattened, broad-based prickles that are often black-tipped. Leaves are alternate, petiolate, ovate to lance-ovate or hastate to pandurate in outline, thick in texture, glabrous or minutely pubescent on the lower surface, with entire to spinose-ciliate margins. The leaves have 3-5 prominent veins and a thick, raised vein parallel to the margin. Leaves are uniformly green or mottled and appearing variegated. Flowers are produced in axillary umbels of 10-15 greenish-yellow flowers. The fruit is a black berry. This is probably the most common species in the genus in Alabama, and occurs in a wide variety of habitats.—A. Diamond
Taxonomic Notes:**
Status:Native, FAC (NWI)
References:**
Specimen: View specimen details in the Alabama Herbarium Consortium Specimen Database

** Not applicable or data not available.

Classification

FamilySMILACACEAE - Greeenbrier family
Genus Smilax
Species Smilax bona-nox L. - Saw Greenbrier; Fringed Greenbrier; Bullbrier

Citation

Citation Smilax bona-nox Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 2: 1030. 1753.
Basionym: **
Type: "Carolina": Without data (lectotype: Plukenet, Phytographia t. 111(1, 3). 1691). Lectotypified by J.L. Reveal, in C.E. Jarvis, Order out of Chaos 858. 2007.

** Not applicable or data not available.

Synonyms

SynonymFull CitationBasionymType
Smilax bona-nox var. plukenetii Smilax bona-nox Linnaeus, var. plukenetii Alph. de Candolle, Monogr. Phan. 1: 78. 1878, nom. inadmiss.Smilax bona-nox Linnaeus 1753. 
Smilax bona-nox subsp. hederfolia Smilax bona-nox Linnaeus, subsp. hederfolia (Beyrich ex Kunth) Alph. de Candolle, Monogr. Phan. 1: 77. 1878.Smilax hederifolia Beyrich ex Kunth 1850. 
Smilax bona-nox subsp. polyodonta Smilax bona-nox Linnaeus, subsp. polyodonta Alph. de Candolle, Monogr. Phan. 1: 78. 1878, nom. inadmiss.Smilax bona-nox Linnaeus 1753. 
Smilax bona-nox var. littoralis Smilax bona-nox Linnaeus, var. littoralis Coker, J. Elisha Mitchell Sci. Soc. 60: 42. 1944. SOUTH CAROLINA: Horry Co.: Myrtle Beach, 2 Jul 1942, Coker & Smith s.n. (holotype: ?).
Smilax hastata Smilax hastata Willdenow, Sp. Pl. 4: 782. 1806, non Jacquin 1760.  
Smilax hederifolia Smilax hederifolia Beyrich ex Kunth, Enum. Pl. 5: 209. 1850. GEORGIA: Chatham Co.: Near Savannah,
Smilax renifolia Smilax renifolia Small, Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 25: 608. 1898. TEXAS: Kerr Co.: Along Bear Creek, 30 Apr 1894, Heller 1679 (holotype: NY).
Smilax variegata Smilax variegata Walter, Fl. Carol. 244. 1788. SOUTH CAROLINA
Smilax bona-nox var. exauriculata Smilax bona-nox Linnaeus, var. exauriculata Fernald, Rhodora 46: 36. 1944. VIRGINIA: Norfolk Co.: Norfolk, s.d., Reed s.n. (holotype: GH).
Smilax bona-nox var. hastata Smilax bona-nox Linnaeus, var. hastata Alph. de Candolle, Monogr. Phan. 1: 79. 1878.Smilax hastata Willdenow 1806, non Jacquin 1760. 
Smilax bona-nox var. hederifolia Smilax bona-nox Linnaeus, var. hederifolia (Beyrich ex Kunth) Fernald, Rhodora 46: 36. 1944.Smilax hederifolia Beyrich ex Kunth 1850. 

Specimens and Distribution

This species has been reported in the following counties by the herbaria listed. An overview of the individual specimens are provided in the table that follows. Click on the accession number to view details; click on column headers to sort; choose a county or herbaria to filter the specimen data.

Counties included on distribution map: Autauga, Baldwin, Barbour, Bibb, Blount, Bullock, Butler, Calhoun, Cherokee, Chilton, Choctaw, Clarke, Clay, Cleburne, Coffee, Colbert, Conecuh, Covington, Crenshaw, Dale, Dallas, DeKalb, Elmore, Escambia, Etowah, Fayette, Hale, Henry, Houston, Jackson, Jefferson, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Lee, Limestone, Lowndes, Macon, Madison, Marengo, Marshall, Mobile, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Perry, Pike, Randolph, Russell, Shelby, St. Clair, Sumter, Talladega, Tallapoosa, Tuscaloosa, Wilcox

Counties represented by specimen data listed below:

Herbaria represented by specimen data listed below: ALNHS, AMAL, AUA, JSU, SAMF, TROY, UNA, USAM, UWAL

Range of years during which specimens were collected: 1881 - 2023

Barcode / Accession No.
County
Coll. Date
Collector &
Collection No.
Herbarium &
Herbarium Name Used
Image
UNA00008376 Autauga 14 Jul 1982 Gunn, Scott C.
921		 UNA
Smilax bona-nox L.
AUA_ACC_39104 Autauga 14 Jul 1982 GUNN, SCOTT C.
921		 AUA
SMILAX BONA-NOX L.
TROY000048397 Autauga 20 Jul 2017 Parker, Matthew R.
1024		 TROY
Pycnanthemum loomisii Nuttall
TROY000048324 Autauga 14 Dec 2017 Parker, Matthew R.
1493		 TROY
Smilax bona-nox Linnaeus
UWAL0046069 Autauga 14 Dec 2017 Parker, Matthew R.
1493		 UWAL
Smilax bona-nox Linnaeus
AUA_ACC_1826 Baldwin 14 May 1955 SLEDGE, EUGENE B.
 AUA
SMILAX BONA-NOX L.
USAM000014656 Baldwin 13 Dec 1980 LeLong, Michel G.
11918		 USAM
Smilax bona-nox Linnaeus
USAM000014654 Baldwin 13 Dec 1980 LeLong, Michel G.
11918		 USAM
Smilax bona-nox Linnaeus
USAM000014652 Baldwin 13 Dec 1980 LeLong, Michel G.
11918		 USAM
Smilax bona-nox Linnaeus
JSU101864 Baldwin 01 Sep 1997 Brodeur, Kristin R.
088		 JSU
Smilax bona-nox Linnaeus
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