Smilax

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Smilax

Scientific Classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Liliopsida Order: Liliales Family: Smilacaceae Genus: Smilax
Species
S. aristolochiifolia (sarsaparilla) S. aspera (rough bindweed) S. auriculata (earleaf greenbrier) S. biltmoreana (Biltmore's carrionflower) S. bona-nox (saw greenbrier) S. californica (California greenbrier) S. china (China root) S. coriacea (Everglades greenbrier) S. ecirrhata (upright carrionflower) S. glauca (cat greenbrier) S. herbacea (smooth carrionflower) S. hugeri (Huger's carrionflower) S. illinoensis (Illinois greenbrier) S. jamesii (English Peak greenbrier) S. lasioneura (Blue Ridge carrionflower) S. laurifolia (laurel greenbrier) S. melastomifolia (Hawai'i greenbrier) S. pseudochina (bamboo vine) S. pulverulenta (downy carrionflower) S. pumila (sarsparilla vine) S. regelii (Jamaican sarsaparilla) S. renifolia (kidneyleaf greenbrier) S. rotundifolia (roundleaf greenbrier) S. smallii (lanceleaf greenbrier) S. tamnoides (bristly greenbrier) S. walteri (coral greenbrier)

Smilax is the common name and type genus which includes 300 hundred different species of flowering plants in the Family Smilacaceae. Some species are used medicinally such as China root (S. china) which is commonly used in traditional Chinese herbal medicines.

1 Reproduction
2 Ecology
3 Uses
4 Gallery
5 References
6 See Also

Reproduction

Smilax bona-nox.

Smilax reproduce very fast. Carrion flower and greenbrier are the major groups in smilax.

Smilax china (China root): China root has green leaves and red berries as it fruits. The leaves are wide oviform or rotundity, the length is from 3cm to 10cm. The flower of China root are yellow-green, and always have several individual combines to an umbrella form, the florescence is from April to May. The berries are spherical; and red, matured in September and October. China root likes light, but it could forbear a little bit shade; it could also forbear drought, and leanness. Smilax reproduced by seeding. [1]

Carrion flower: Carrion flower is a common name for these plants that have same characteristics. [2] As we can see from the name, carrion flower eat flesh, and absorb nitrogen from eating insects or flesh. They have their own special smell which is very attractive to the insects. This makes the insects stop on the flowers and then the special structures made the insects could not move any more. However, the pungent smell isn't attractive to humans. On the other hand, it is very disgusting. Sometimes the plant will make the insects stay on the flowers and could not move for a while, and then when the insects fly away from the flower it could bring the pollen of the flower to the other place, thus, it could continue grow new offspring at the other place. [3]

Ecology

There are about 60 different kinds of smilax in China, and most of them are found in the southern Changjiang River, and a few of them could found in the west and the northwest of China.[4] Smilax is distributed in Torrid and Subtropical Zones, and they can be found in every state in the United State. However, different species grow in different areas, and they can produce very fast. [5]

Smilax is a hardy plant able to survive severe damaged and environmental extremes. Usually smilax seeds spread by wind and animals. And because some species of smilax are preferred as food for some birds so it will spread over a large geographical area. When smilax's seed has been stay in a place that has very low temperature, the low temperature will help the seed germinated very well.[6]You could found smilax in a lot of countries.

Uses

The root-stock (caudexes) of S. china (China Root) are used in traditional Chinese medicine. They are said to help relieve colds, and eliminated body toxins. During the summer and autumn, you find it and clean out all of the stuff on it rhizome, then you could use it. China root don't have a strong taste, and it could help you eliminate damp, and it is diuretic.[7]

Sarsaparilla is also a medical used species. Sarsaparilla could heal your fever because it could make you sweating; and it could help with your skin problems, it can clean up inside your body.[8] But we still needs to do somr further studying of sarsaparilla and maybe we could found something different result from it, like during the early days, people use sarsaparilla to deal with arthritis because people found that sarsaparilla can reduce your bad feeling of the reaction of inflammation.