Greenbriers & Yams
What are they?
Greenbriers are the bane of anyone who has tried to strike out into New Jersey woodland, away from the main paths. The main stems are well armed with strong thorns which can tear clothing as well as skin and the stems of some species can straggle way up into the tree canopy. Wild Yam is included here as its trailing stems resemble a weak greenbrier, but it is thornless.
Where are they found?
Greenbriers are abundant in woodland and other shady habitats, particularly in damp ground. Some species are more common in drier, sandy soils around the coast.
Identification
Some species are woody, while others are herbaceous, that is to say, they die down during the winter and sprout from the base again the following spring. This fact, coupled with leaf shape should identify the species, while berry color is useful also.
Smooth Carrion-flower Smilax herbacea
Widespread in shady, usually damp, woodland. Flowers May to June. Leaves thin and pliant, not thick and waxy like other greenbriers.
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Coastal Greenbrier Smilax pseudochina
An uncommon plant that may be found in woodland edge habitats in a variety of soils. Flowers June to July. Stems spineless and herbaceous, not becoming woody. Leaves have a slightly rough feel and are usually concave at the sides, sometimes forming two lobes at the leaf base.
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Glaucous Greenbrier Smilax glauca
(Cat Greenbrier) Common and often dominant in dry, sandy fields and coastal dunes. Often trails over the ground. Flowers May to July.
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bloom as leaves |
glaucous bloom |
Round-leaved Greenbrier Smilax rotundifolia
A very common component of almost all woodland in the county, wet and dry. Flowers May to June. An abundant plant, its spiny, clambering stems all too easily found by those venturing off the trail!
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glaucous bloom |
Laurel-leaved Greenbrier Smilax laurifolia
A rare plant of wet, undisturbed woodland. Flowers August to September. A straggling plant which shares the general appearance of other greenbriers but with much narrower leaves. Flowers later than other species.
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Walter's Greenbrier Smilax walteri
(Red-berried or Coral Greenbrier) An uncommon scrambling plant of wet woodland which may occasionally be locally common in the north of the county. Flowers May to June. Best told by its red berries; leaves variously shaped but generally narrower and less rounded than those of Round-leaved Greenbrier.
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Wild Yam Dioscorea villosa
Found in loamy woodland soils; not infrequent but easily overlooked as plants are often rather small and thin-stemmed. Flowers June to July.
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with distinct veins |
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