Smilax elegans Wall.

Species

Angiosperms > Liliales > Smilacaceae > Smilax

Characteristics

Vines climbing, unarmed. Stem branched, to more than 1 m, woody, smooth; young branches zigzagged. Petiole 0.5--1.5 cm, narrowly winged for 1/3--1/2 its length; wings apically lanceolate-auriculate; abscission zone apical; tendrils commonly present. Leaf blade abaxially glaucous, ovate-lanceolate or broadly lanceolate, 3--9 × 1--3.5 cm, main veins 5--7. Inflorescence of 1 umbel, basally not prophyllate; peduncle slender, 1--5 cm; umbels of both sexes 1--4-flowered, base not thickened; bracteoles 2 or 3, lanceolate. Male flowers: tepals greenish, ca. 1.5 × 0.7 mm; stamens rather short. Female flowers: tepals ca. 1.2 × 0.5 mm; staminodes 6, subulate. Fl. Jun. 2 n = 32.
More
A climber. The leaves are 8-35 cm long by 15-42 mm wide. They are oval with a rounded or heart shaped base. There is a tip at the end. The flowers are small and purple. The fruit are round berries 4 mm across. They are blue black.
Life form perennial
Growth form -
Growth support climber
Foliage retention evergreen
Sexuality dioecy
Pollination -
Spread -
Mature width (meter) -
Mature height (meter) -
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color
Blooming months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Fruit color -
Fruiting months -
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway -

Environment

Western Himalayas. In Pakistan it grows between 1,000-2,000 m above sea level.
Light -
Soil humidity -
Soil texture -
Soil acidity -
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 8-12

Usage

The tender shoots are boiled and eaten with salt and sometimes mixed with curd.
Uses medicinal
Edible leaves shoots
Therapeutic use Antirheumatic agents (root), Arthritis (root), Common cold (root), Cough (root), Dental caries (root), Antirheumatic agents (stem), Arthritis (stem), Common cold (stem), Cough (stem), Dental caries (stem)
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Mode -
Germination duration (days) -
Germination temperacture (C°) -
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment -
Minimum temperature (C°) -
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Distribution

Smilax elegans world distribution map, present in Bangladesh, China, Myanmar, Nepal, and Pakistan

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:541416-1
WFO ID wfo-0000742604
COL ID 4XWFJ
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID -
Wikipedia (EN)
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Smilax elegans Smilax parvifolia

Lower taxons

Smilax elegans subsp. subrecta Smilax elegans subsp. osmastonii Smilax elegans subsp. elegans