Smilax laurifolia

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Smilax laurifolia
Smilax laurifolia.jpg

Smilax laurifolia

Systematics
Class : Bedecktsamer (Magnoliopsida)
Monocots
Order : Lily-like (Liliales)
Family : Stingray family (Smilacaceae)
Genre : Sarsaparilla ( Smilax )
Type : Smilax laurifolia
Scientific name
Smilax laurifolia
L.

Smilax laurifolia , also called sarsaparilla or sassaparilla , is a species of the genus stinging winds ( Smilax ) within the family of stinging winds ( Smilacaceae ). It is common in the southeastern United States and thrives along the Gulf Coast and the Atlantic coastal plains from Texas to New Jersey ,extendingits range inland to Arkansas , Oklahoma and Tennessee . It is also found in Cuba and the Bahamas . The TNC classifies Smilax laurifolia as "safe" ("G5"). CommonEnglish names are: laurel greenbrier, laurelleaf greenbrier, bamboo vine, blaspheme vine.

description

Illustration from Aquatic and wetland plants of southwestern United States , p. 662

Vegetative characteristics

Smilax laurifolia is an evergreen, woody climber that forms thicket-like colonies and overgrows the remaining vegetation. The shoot axes reach lengths of 5 meters and more. They are "devilishly armed" with thorns that can be more than 1 centimeter long. The plants develop from a huge lignified tube-like rhizome . The shoot axes can grow up to 7 centimeters per day.

The leaves are divided into a petiole and a leaf blade. The leaf stalks are twisted, bringing the leaf blades into an upright position. The simple, leathery leaf blade is straight and lanceolate or oval at a length of about 13 centimeters and a width of about 6 centimeters.

Generative characteristics

Up to 25 flowers stand together in a lateral, dold-like inflorescence . The hermaphrodite flowers are threefold. The whitish or yellowish tepals have a length of about 0.5 centimeters.

The shiny black berry has a waxy coating and a diameter of 5 to 8 millimeters.

The berries ripen in the second growing season after fertilization .

Site conditions

Smilax laurifolia grows in bogs , breaks and swampy areas. In Pocosins it is the dominant species. The soils are moist to saturated with water and the sites are often flooded. It is common in the Everglades and "characteristic" of the undergrowth in the Okefenokee Swamp . It is associated with bald cypress , black tupelo tree ( N. sylvatica ), swamp magnolia ( Magnolia virginiana ), Gordonia lasianthus , Persea borbonia , red maple ( Acer rubrum ), Ilex cassine , Cyrilla racemiflora and white false cypress ( Chamaecyparis thyoides ). In the understory it is associated with Lyonia lucida , deciduous grape heather ( Leucothoe racemosa ), American rosemary willow ( Itea virginica ), alder-leaved cinnamon ( Clethra alnifolia ), Smilax walteri and Zenobia pulverulenta .

Seedlings from tree species compete with Smilax laurifolia laurifolia and are partially suppressed, like those of the white cypress. The plant grows better in sunny places and can form impenetrable thickets. After a fire or damage, it sprouts vigorously from the rhizome. As a fast-growing climbing plant, it is considered a nuisance in forestry .

Numerous animal species find shelter and habitat in the thickets, such as white-tailed deer , bobcat , gray squirrel , diamond rattlesnake , Mississippi alligator , Anderson tree frog and the endangered cockade woodpecker . Smilax laurifolia occurs along with a number of rare species such as Kalmia cuneata , Peltandra sagittaefolia , Solidago verna and Lysimachia asperulifolia .

use

Smilax laurifolia was used by Indian groups for medicinal purposes. The Cherokee, for example, used the plants to treat skin fungus and burns. The tubular rhizomes were also eaten; the Choctaw they used in fried cakes and bread.

Taxonomy

The first publication of Smilax laurifolia was in 1753 by Carl von Linné in Species Plantarum , page 1030. Synonyms for Smilax laurifolia L. are: Parillax laurifolia (L.) Raf. , Smilax lanceolata L. , Smilax virginiana Mill. , Smilax alba Pursh , Smilax hastata var. Lanceolata (L.) Pursh , Smilax laurifolia var. Bupleurifolia A.DC.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Smilax laurifolia, 2014 county distribution map . Biota of North America Program. Retrieved June 12, 2019.
  2. ↑ a b c Rafaël Govaerts (Ed.): Smilax laurifolia. In: World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP) - The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved September 14, 2019.
  3. ↑ a b c d e f g h Timothy R. Van Deelen: Smilax laurifolia . In: Fire Effects Information System . US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory. 1991. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
  4. ↑ a b c d Bruce A. Sorrie, Alan S. Weakley, Gordon C. Tucker: Smilax laurifolia . In: Flora of North America @ eFloras.org . Retrieved June 25, 2019.
  5. ^ H. Leon: Flora de Cuba , Volume 1.Cultural SA, La Habana 1946, p. 441.
  6. ^ DS Correll, HB Correll: Flora of the Bahama Archipelago . J. Cramer, Vaduz 1982, p. 1692.
  7. ↑ Smilax laurifolia . United States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service. Retrieved November 16, 2015.
  8. ↑ Smilax laurifolia . In: Native American Ethnobotany DB . University of Michigan Ethnobotany. Retrieved June 26, 2019.

Web links

Commons : Smilax laurifolia  - collection of images, videos and audio files