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 Smilax aspera in fruit
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Smilax is a genus of about 300[1]–350[2] species of climbing flowering plants, many of which are woody and/or thorny in the monocotyledon family Smilacaceae, native throughout the tropical and warm temperate regions of the world. Plants are living Organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. The flowering plants or angiosperms ( Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta) are the most widespread group Monocotyledons or monocots are one of two major groups of Flowering plants (angiosperms that are traditionally recognised the other being Dicotyledons Liliales is an order of Monocotyledonous Flowering plants This order of necessity includes the family Liliaceae, but both the family and the order have Smilacaceae, the greenbrier family is a family of Flowering plants. The flowering plants or angiosperms ( Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta) are the most widespread group Monocotyledons or monocots are one of two major groups of Flowering plants (angiosperms that are traditionally recognised the other being Dicotyledons Smilacaceae, the greenbrier family is a family of Flowering plants. Common names include Catbrier, Greenbrier, Prickly-ivy, Sarsaparilla, Zarzaparrilla, Sarsparilla and Smilax. Occasionally, the non-woody species, like S. herbacea, are placed in the genus Nemexia. Nemexia is a group of Plants in the family Smilacaceae. It consists of the Herbaceous plants within the genus Smilax Smilax gets its name from the Greek myth Krokus/Crocus and the nymph Smilax. In Classical mythology Krokus was a mortal man who unhappy with his love affair with Smilax, was turned by the gods into a plant bearing his name the crocus Saffron CROCUS is a Research reactor at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne in Switzerland, sometimes described as zero power but in fact limited In Greek mythology, a nymph is any member of a large class of mythological entities in human female form [3] Though this myth has numerous forms, it always centers around the unfulfilled and tragic love of a mortal man who is turned into a flower, and a woodland nymph who is transformed into a brambly vine.
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Description
On their own, Smilax plants will grow as a shrub, forming dense impenetrable thickets. They will also grow over trees and other plants up to 10 m high using its hooked thorns to hang on to and scramble over branches. The genus includes both deciduous and evergreen species. Botany Autumn leaf color. See --> In Botany and Horticulture, deciduous Plants, including In Botany, an Evergreen plant is a plant having leaves all year round The leaves are heart shaped and vary from 4-30 cm long in different species. In Botany, a leaf is an above-ground Plant organ specialized for Photosynthesis.
Greenbrier is dioecious, however only about one in three colonies have plants of both sexes. Plant sexuality covers the wide variety of Sexual reproduction systems found across the Plant kingdom Plants flower in May and June with white/green clustered flowers. A flower, also known as a bloom or Blossom, is the reproductive structure found in Flowering plants (plants of the division Magnoliophyta, also If pollination occurs, the plant will produce a bright red to blue-black spherical berry fruit about 5-10 mm in diameter that matures in the fall. Pollination in angiosperms and Gymnosperms is the process that transfers pollen grains, which contain the male Gametes (sperm to where the female The word berry has two meanings one based on a botanical definition the other on common identification The term fruit has different meanings dependent on context and the term is not synonymous in Food preparation and Biology.
The berry is rubbery in texture and has a large, spherical seed in the center. The fruit stays intact through winter, when birds and other animals eat them to survive. Birds ( class Aves) are bipedal endothermic ( Warm-blooded) Vertebrate animals that lay eggs. The seeds are passed unharmed in the animal's droppings. Since many Smilax colonies are single clones that have spread by rhizomes, both sexes may not be present at a site, in which case no fruit is formed. In Botany, a rhizome is a horizontal stem of a Plant that is usually found underground often sending out Roots and Shoots
Species
The genus is divided into a number of sections. Section Smilax includes "woody" (being a monocot, members of the Family Smilacacea can not lay down true wood), prickly vines of temperate North America (for example, Smilax glauca and Smilax rotundifolia). A woody plant is any vascular Plant that has a perennial stem that is above ground and covered by a layer of thickened Bark. A vine is any plant of Genus Vitis (the Grape plants or by extension any similar climbing or trailing plant Common Greenbriar ( Smilax rotundifolia) also known as Common Greenbrier, is a common woody vine native to the Eastern United States. [2] Section Coprosmanthus includes unarmed herbaceous plants of temperate North America (for example Smilax herbacea). A herbaceous plant (or in botanical use a Herb) is a Plant that has leaves and stems that die down at the end of Smilax herbacea ( Sooth Herbaceous Greenbrier or " Carrion flower ") is a Plant in the catbrier family Smilacaceae [2] The genus is found worldwide in tropical and subtropical areas. The subtropics are the zones of the Earth immediately north and south of the tropic zone which is bounded by the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of [2] 39 species are endemic to China. Endemism is the Ecological state of being unique to a place Endemic species are not naturally found elsewhere [1]
For a full species list, see list of Smilax species; selected common species include:
Smilax aspera (Common Smilax)
Smilax bona-nox (Saw Greenbrier) (images)
Smilax glauca (Cat Greenbrier) (images)
Smilax herbacea (Carrion flower)
Smilax hispida (Bristly Greenbrier)
Smilax pseudochina (False Chinaroot)
Smilax pulverulenta (Carrion flower)
Smilax regelii (Sarsaparilla)
Smilax rotundifolia (Common Greenbrier)
Ecology
Smilax is a very damage-tolerant plant capable of growing back from its rhizomes after being cut down or burned down by fire. Smilax herbacea ( Sooth Herbaceous Greenbrier or " Carrion flower ") is a Plant in the catbrier family Smilacaceae Carrion flowers or Stinking flowers are flowers that emit an odor that smells like rotting flesh Carrion flowers or Stinking flowers are flowers that emit an odor that smells like rotting flesh For the drink see Root beer. Sarsaparilla (IPA /ˌsæspəˈɹɪlə/ ( Smilax regelii and other closely related species of For the drink see Root beer. Sarsaparilla (IPA /ˌsæspəˈɹɪlə/ ( Smilax regelii and other closely related species of Common Greenbriar ( Smilax rotundifolia) also known as Common Greenbrier, is a common woody vine native to the Eastern United States. Common Greenbriar ( Smilax rotundifolia) also known as Common Greenbrier, is a common woody vine native to the Eastern United States. In Botany, a rhizome is a horizontal stem of a Plant that is usually found underground often sending out Roots and Shoots A wildfire, also known as a wildland fire, forest fire, brush fire, vegetation fire, grass fire, Peat fire, This, coupled with the fact that birds and other small animals spread the seeds over large areas, makes the plants very hard to get rid of. It grows best in moist woodlands with a soil pH between 5 and 6. pH is the measure of the acidity or alkalinity of a Solution. The seeds have the highest percent chance of germinating after being exposed to a freeze.
Besides providing an important fruit for animals (especially birds) during the winter, the greenbrier plant also provides shelter for many other animals. The thorny thickets can effectively protect small animals from other larger animals who cannot enter the greenbrier. Deer will eat the foliage. A deer is a Ruminant Mammal belonging to the family Cervidae.
Uses
An extract from the roots of some species are used to make the drink Sarsaparilla. For the drink see Root beer. Sarsaparilla (IPA /ˌsæspəˈɹɪlə/ ( Smilax regelii and other closely related species of The roots may also be used in soups or stews, the young shoots can be eaten raw or cooked and are said to taste like asparagus, and the berries can be eaten both raw and cooked. Asparagus officinalis is a flowering plant species in the genus Asparagus from which the Vegetable known as asparagus is obtained
"Rad. Sarzae. Jam. ", used medicinally as a cure for gout in Latin American countries, is a powder made from the roots of Jamaican sarsaparilla. Gout (also called metabolic arthritis) is a disease created by a buildup of Uric acid. The rather unusual name is an old pharmaceutical abbreviation for a Latin phrase meaning, "Root of the Jamaican Brier. For the HTML tag see HTML element. An abbreviation (from Latin brevis "short" Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. ROOT is an object-oriented program and library developed by CERN. Jamaica (ˈdʒəˈmeɪkə} is an Island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length and as much as in width situated in the Caribbean Sea. "
Smilax glabra Roxb. (called tufuling, 土茯苓, in Chinese) is used in Chinese herbology. See Herbalism for the non-Chinese tradition of herbology Chinese Herbology ( is the common name for the subject of Chinese
Jamaican sarsaparilla also contains at least four phytosterols of the progesterone class, and is therefore recommended by herbalists as a remedy for the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome. Phytosterols (also called plant sterols) are a group of steroid alcohols, Phytochemicals naturally occurring in Plants. Progesterone is a C-21 Steroid Hormone involved in the Female Menstrual cycle, Pregnancy (supports Gestation Herbalism is a traditional Medicinal or Folk medicine practice based on the use of Plants and Plant extracts Herbalism is also known as Premenstrual syndrome ( PMS) (sometimes referred to as PMT or Premenstrual Tension) is a collection of physical psychological and emotional symptoms It appears to be most effective at alleviating these symptoms in premenopausal women over the age of 35. Menopause is the permanent shutting down of the female Reproductive system, a considerable length of time before the end of the lifespan
Trivia
- The leaves and berries of Smilax regelii (Sarsaparilla) are favorite foods of the Smurfs, who call the berries "Smurfberries". The Smurfs ( Les Schtroumpfs) are a fictional group of small Sky blue creatures who live in Smurf Village somewhere in the woods
- In the RPG video-game Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars the name Smilax refers to a species of Piranha Plant that serves as a boss before entering the Nimbus Land. Super Mario RPG Legend of the Seven Stars, released as simply in Japan is a hybrid adventure / Console role-playing game developed and published by This is a list of enemies in the ''Mario'' series of Video games Blooper Bloopers ( in Japanese originally known in English as Bloobers
- In the 1974 TV series Land of the Lost, Holly often attempted to make smilax cakes resulting in a doughy, gummy, barely edible confection. Land of the Lost ( 1974 – 1976) is a children's Television series created and produced by Sid and Marty Krofft.
- In the 1960 novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Atticus Finch is paid in part with a "crate of smilax and holly".
References
- ^ a b Smilax. Flora of China. Retrieved on 2008-02-09. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 474 - Zeno crowned as co-emperor of the Byzantine Empire.
- ^ a b c d Smilax. Flora of North America. Retrieved on 2008-02-04. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 211 - Roman Emperor Septimius Severus dies leaving the Roman Empire in the hands of his two quarrelsome sons
- ^ Wild Plants of Malta & Gozo
External links
Information related to Smilax from Wikispecies. Wikispecies is a Wiki -based online project supported by the Wikimedia Foundation that aims to create a comprehensive Free content catalogue of all
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