Smilax officinalis Kunth

Species

Angiosperms > Liliales > Smilacaceae > Smilax

Characteristics

A perennial dioecious evergreen vine. It grows 25m high.
Life form perennial
Growth form vine
Growth support climber
Foliage retention evergreen
Sexuality dioecy
Pollination -
Spread -
Mature width (meter) -
Mature height (meter) 25.0
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color -
Blooming months -
Fruit color -
Fruiting months -
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway -

Environment

Rainforests, where it often climbs high into the trees.
More
A tropical plant.
Light 4-9
Soil humidity 4-6
Soil texture 1-6
Soil acidity -
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 10-12

Usage

The dried roots are used to flavour root beer, soft drinks, ice cream, candy and baked goods. They are mixed with other spices because of their bitter taste.
Uses material medicinal spice
Edible roots
Therapeutic use Tumor (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 -

Distribution

Smilax officinalis world distribution map, present in Costa Rica, Ecuador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:541685-1
WFO ID wfo-0000741814
COL ID 4XWPJ
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID -
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Smilax vanilliodora Smilax tonduzii Smilax standleyi Smilax gilgiana Smilax barbillana Smilax chiriquensis Smilax bernhardii Smilax officinalis