smooth carrionflower
(Smilax herbacea)
Conservation • Wetland • Description • Habitat • Ecology • Use • Distribution • Taxonomy
Conservation Status |
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| IUCN Red List | not listed |
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| NatureServe | N5 - Secure SNR - Unranked |
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| Minnesota | not listed |
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Wetland Indicator Status |
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| Midwest | FAC - Facultative |
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| Northcentral & Northeast | FAC - Facultative |
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Description |
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Smooth carrionflower is a vine. The stem has no prickles. Almost all of the nodes have tendrils. The leaf upperside is dull, not shiny. The leaf underside is pale green and completely hairless. The stalk of the inflorescence is 4 to 8 times as long as the stalk of the adjacent leaf. Field observations of potential specimens should be carefully examined for fine hairs along the veins on the lower leaf surface. Smooth carrionflower is completely hairless. |
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Height |
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Up to 10′ long |
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Flower Color |
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Greenish |
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Similar Species |
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Blue Ridge carrion flower (Smilax lasioneura) leaf underside has fine hairs along the veins and sometimes between the veins. The tendrils are conspicuously curled and arise from almost all nodes, including those from which peduncles rise. The peduncle is less than 4 times as long as the petiole of the adjacent leaf. It is much more common and is found throughout the state. |
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Habitat |
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Moist. Woods, savannas, thickets, prairies, fencerows. Full to partial sun. |
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Ecology |
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Flowering |
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May to June |
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Pests and Diseases |
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Use |
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Distribution |
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Sources 2. The distributional range of Smilax herbacea is a subject of much controversy. BONAP shows no records of Smilax herbacea west of a line extending from Green Bay in Lake Michigan south to the Gulf of Mexico. This would put Minnesota far outside of the plant’s known range. GRIN shows Smilax herbacea extending into Illinois, Wisconsin, and Missouri, but not Minnesota. |
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| 11/10/2022 | ||||
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Sources USDA Plants, which takes their data from Bell Museum at the University of Minnesota, has Smilax herbacea occurring throughout Minnesota and extending as far west as Kansas and Oklahoma. NatureServe has it reaching the Dakotas and Texas. |
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| 11/10/2022 | ||||
| There is even disagrement within Minnesota. It has been suggested that smooth carrionflower (Smilax herbacea) does not occur in Minnesota, and that all records and herbarium specimens in the state be referred to as Blue Ridge carrion flower (Smilax lasioneura). Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas (Bell Museum), on the other hand, shows the plant occurring throughout Minnesota. MNTaxa shows Smilax herbacea occurring in just nine counties, mostly in the eastern half of the state. Minnesota Wildflowers, aware of the controversy, has “…inspected countless leaves looking for a hairless plant, only to discover every Smilax plant in Minnesota has hairy leaves.” | ||||
Nativity |
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Native (? See text above) |
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Occurrence |
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Taxonomy |
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| Kingdom | Plantae (green algae and land plants) | ||
| Subkingdom | Viridiplantae (green plants) | ||
| Infrakingdom | Streptophyta (land plants and green algae) | ||
| Superdivision | Embryophyta (land plants) | ||
| Division | Tracheophyta (vascular plants) | ||
| Subdivision | Spermatophytina (seed plants) | ||
| Class | Liliopsida (monocots) | ||
Order |
Liliales (lilies, supplejacks, and allies) | ||
Family |
Smilacaceae (greenbrier) | ||
Genus |
Smilax (greenbriars) | ||
| Section | Nemexia | ||
There are two distinct groups within the genus Smilax. One group, section Nemexia, has herbaceous unarmed stems that die back to the ground each year. The second group, section Smilax, has woody perennial stems with thorns. Plants in the former group, including smooth carrionflower, were formerly classified in the genus Nemexia, which is now considered invalid. |
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Synonyms |
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Nemexia herbacea |
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Common Names |
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herbaceous greenbriar Jacob’s lader smooth carrionflower smooth herbaceous greenbriar |
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Visitor Photos |
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Babette Kis |
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Smilax herbacea June 25, 2016, Barnes Prairie, Racine County, WI, Smilax herbacea, smooth carrionflower, in fruit. |
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MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos |
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| Babette Kis 6/25/2016 |
Location: Barnes Prairie, Racine Co., WI June 25, 2016, Barnes Prairie, Racine County, WI, Smilax herbacea, smooth carrionflower, in fruit. |
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MinnesotaSeasons.com Sightings |
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