Smilax ovalifolia Roxb.

A twining shrub or climbing vine. It is armed with some prickles. The stems are branched. They can be 10 m long and are woody. The leaves are stalked. The stalks are 1.6-3 cm long and they have narrow wings for about half their length. Leaves are 10-20 cm long and 3.5-15 cm wide. They can be larger. They are oval and taper to the tip. There can be 1-3 flowering stalks together. They have 12-40 flowers each. The flowers are yellowish. The fruit is a berry and round. It is dark red and 0.9-1.2 cm across.

It is a tropical plant. In Nepal plants grow to about 1400 m altitude. They grow in moist places in forested areas. In China it grows in forests from near sea level to 1500 m altitude in the south. In India it grows on the Deccan.

The tender shoots and leaves are cooked as a vegetable. They are used in curry. They are also pickled. The ripe fruit are eaten fresh. The root is used as a substitute for sarsparilla. It is used in medicine.

Plants are grown from seed.