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Smilax lanceifolia Roxb.

Species

Angiosperms > Liliales > Smilacaceae > Smilax

Characteristics

Vines climbing. Stem branched, terete, 1--2 m, woody; branchlets occasionally zigzagged. Petiole 1--2(--2.5) cm, narrowly winged for 1/5--1/4 its length; abscission zone at middle; tendrils usually present. Leaf blade lanceolate to ovate-oblong, 6--17 × 2--8 cm. Inflorescence of 1(or 2) umbels, basally prophyllate; peduncle 1--1.5 cm, proximally articulate; umbels of both sexes densely 20--30-flowered, base slightly thickened. Male flowers: tepals yellowish green, 3--4.5 × ca. 1 mm; stamens 3--4 mm. Female flowers: tepals 1.5--2 × ca. 0.6 mm; staminodes 6. Berries yellowish red to black, globose, 6--7 mm in diam. Fl. Sep--Mar, fr. Oct--Nov.
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A thorny twining shrub. Stems are 1-2 m long. They are woody. The leaves are stalked. The leaf stalks are 1-2 cm long and with narrow wings. The leaf blades are oval or sword shaped and fattened towards the base. They taper to the tip. They are 6-17 cm long by 2-8 cm wide. The flowers are small and yellow. They occur in many flowered heads. The fruit is a berry. They are green when young. This plant varies a lot.
Life form perennial
Growth form herb
Growth support climber
Foliage retention evergreen
Sexuality dioecy
Pollination -
Spread -
Mature width (meter) -
Mature height (meter) 3.5
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color
Blooming months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Fruit color -
Fruiting months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway c3

Environment

A tropical and subtropical plant. In Nepal they grow to about 2000 m altitude. They grow in moist places in forested areas. In China they grow from 100-2800 m altitude. In Sichuan and Yunnan.
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Moist places in forests, forest margins, thickets, shaded places on slopes; at elevations from 100-2,800 metres.
Moist places in forests, forest margins, thickets, shaded places on slopes; at elevations from 100-2,800 metres.
Light 4-9
Soil humidity 4-6
Soil texture 1-6
Soil acidity 3-7
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 8-12

Usage

Young leaves and shoots are cooked as a vegetable. Ripe fruit are eaten fresh.
Uses medicinal
Edible fruits leaves shoots
Therapeutic use Anodyne (unspecified), Rheumatism (unspecified)
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Plants are grown from seed.
Mode cuttings divisions seedlings
Germination duration (days) -
Germination temperacture (C°) -
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment -
Minimum temperature (C°) -
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Distribution

Smilax lanceifolia world distribution map, present in Andorra, Bangladesh, China, Indonesia, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand, Taiwan, Province of China, and Viet Nam

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:541553-1
WFO ID wfo-0000742571
COL ID 4XWKP
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID -
Wikipedia (EN)
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Smilax lanceifolia Smilax lanceifolia subsp. opaca

Lower taxons

Smilax lanceifolia var. elongata Smilax lanceifolia var. lanceolata Smilax lanceifolia var. impressinervia Smilax lanceifolia var. lanceifolia
WorldFloraDB 2024