Smilax aristolochiifolia Mill.

Sarsaparilla (en)

Species

Angiosperms > Liliales > Smilacaceae > Smilax

Characteristics

A climbing vine. It has tendrils. It grows 4-5 m long. The roots can be 2-2.5 m long. The leaves are papery and arranged alternately. The leaves are 10-30 cm wide. The flowers are small and green. The fruit are small red berries with 2-3 seeds.
Life form perennial
Growth form -
Growth support climber
Foliage retention evergreen
Sexuality dioecy
Pollination -
Spread -
Mature width (meter) -
Mature height (meter) 5.0
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color -
Blooming months -
Fruit color -
Fruiting months -
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway -

Environment

It is a tropical plant. It grows in warm and swampy areas. It grows between 850-1,760 m above sea level.
More
Not known
Light 4-9
Soil humidity 4-6
Soil texture 1-6
Soil acidity -
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 10-12

Usage

The root is used to make a drink. The roots are used for sarsaparilla flavouring. It is used commercially for flavouring root beers, baked goods, ice cream candy and drinks.
Uses food food additive medicinal
Edible rhizomes roots stems
Therapeutic use Gonorrhea (root), Kidney diseases (root), Psoriasis (root), Skin diseases (root), Syphilis (root), Antidote (unspecified), Malignancy (unspecified), Rheumatism (unspecified), Scrofula (unspecified), Skin (unspecified), Stimulant (unspecified), Venereal (unspecified), Sudorific (unspecified), Tonic (unspecified), Depurative (unspecified), Wound (unspecified), Diaphoretic (unspecified), Syphilis (unspecified), Anti-infective agents, local (unspecified), Anti-inflammatory agents (unspecified), Antipruritics (unspecified)
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Can be grown by seedlings.
Mode seedlings
Germination duration (days) -
Germination temperacture (C°) -
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment -
Minimum temperature (C°) -
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Smilax aristolochiifolia unspecified picture

Distribution

Smilax aristolochiifolia world distribution map, present in Belize, Guatemala, and Honduras

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:541278-1
WFO ID wfo-0000740693
COL ID 4XWBL
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID -
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Smilax kerberi Smilax aristolochiifolia Smilax medica Smilax medica var. bracteata