SMILACACEAE 283 



times 2-lobed at the base, acute or cuspidate at the apex, green on both sides, lineolate, 

 commonly bristly-toothed on the margins and nerves beneath, 7-9-nerved, or in the case of 

 broad leaves 11-nerved, obtuse or cordate at the base : peduncles 2.5-8 cm. long, flattened : 

 pedicels 12-40, 6-8 mm. long : receptacle irregular, 2-4 mm. in diameter : sepals and petals 

 dark green, various, those of staminate flowers about 5 mm. long, those of pistillate flowers 

 much shorter : berries globose, 4-6 mm. in diameter, often 8-16 together, black, 1-3- 

 seeded. 



In dry soil, Maryland to Nebraska, Florida and Texas. Spring to fall. BAMBOO. CHINA-BRIER. 



6. Smilax Bona-nox L. Stems high-climbing ; branches angled, often square, like 

 the stem, armed with stout or slender spines, or naked : leaves various ; stipular sheath 

 ^-2 as long as the petiole, with usually denticulate margins ; blades often persistent, mostly 

 leathery, broadly ovate to hastate or fiddle-shaped, 3-12 cm. long, acute or cuspidate at the 

 apex, pellucid-punctate and lineolate, 5-9-nerved, smooth or erose-spiny on the margins 

 and nerves beneath, obtuse, truncate or cordate at the base: peduncles slender, 1.5-3 cm. 

 long, flattened : pedicels 15-45, 4-8 mm. long: receptacle subglobose, 2-2.5 mm. in diam- 

 eter : sepals and petals deep green, various, those of staminate flowers 4-5 mm. long, about 

 twice as long as those of pistillate flowers : berries subglobose, 4-6 mm. in diameter, 8-20 

 together, black, 1 -seeded. 



In thickets, Massachusetts to Kansas, Florida and Texas. Spring and summer. STRETCHBF.RRY. 



7. Smilax rotundifolia L. Stems 2-6 m. long, like the more or less sharply angled 

 branches, armed with sharp prickles : leaves- various ; blades ovate to suborbicular, 3-15 

 cm. long, mostly acute or cuspidate at the apex, entire or nearly so, more or less roughened 

 on the nerves beneath, rounded or cordate at the base, leathery in age, punctate : pedun- 

 cles 6-12 mm. long, flattened : pedicels 6-25, 2-8 mm. long : sepals and petals greenish 

 yellow, 3-4 mm. long or 5 mm. in pistillate flowers, oblong, acute, often pubescent at the 

 apex, sometimes ciliolate : berries subglobose, about 6 mm. in diameter, 1-3-seeded, bluish 

 black. 



In thickets and woods, Ontario to Minnesota. Florida and Texas. Spring. Fruit ripening the first 

 year. A more slender state with dark green foliage, thinnish lanceolate to oblong-lanceolate, acumi- 

 nate, conspicuously erose-denticulate, mainly 3-nerved, lustrous leaf-blades 6-10 cm. long, and subglo- 

 bose berries 5-6 mm. in diameter, S. rotundifolia crenuldta Small & Heller, occurs in mountain woods, 

 Virginia to Georgia and Alabama. Spring and summer. 



8. Smilax Walter! Pursh. Stems trailing or climbing over shrubs, angled, armed 

 near the base ; branches usually unarmed, often square : leaves alternate : stipular sheath 

 J-J as long as the petiole, often with denticulate margins ; blades ovate to lanceolate, 5-12 

 cm. long, cuspidate at the apex, smooth -margined, 5-7-nerved, sparingly lineolate, cor- 

 date, rounded or abruptly pointed at the base : peduncles flattened, 4-10 mm. long : pedi- 

 cels 6-15, 4-6 mm. long : receptacle depressed-globose, 3 mm. broad : bractlets acuminate : 

 sepals and petals greenish, linear or linear-lanceolate, those of staminate flowers 6-8 mm. 

 long, about twice as long as those of the pistillate flowers : berries globose, 6-8 mm. in 

 diameter, coral-red, 2-3-seeded. 



In swamps and pine lands, New Jersey and Tennessee, to Florida and Louisiana. Spring. 



9. Smilax Smallii Morong. Stems prostrate, or high-climbing, 2-8 m. long, terete, 

 striate, glaucous, usually, like the branches, unarmed, sometimes with few short spines be- 

 low : leaves evergreen, uniform ; petioles 4-10 mm. long, the stipular sheath about $ as 

 long, with membranous, smooth-edged margins ; blades light green, ovate to oblong-ovate, 

 2.5-5 cm. long, abruptly narrowed into obtuse tips, lustrous above, glaucous beneath, 

 sparsely lineolate, 5-nerved : peduncles barely surpassing the petioles, twisted, stout, pedi- 

 cels 2-8 mm. long, very unequal : receptacle subglobose, 2-2.5 mm. in diameter : bractlets 

 triangular : sepals and petals yellowish green, recurving, those of the staminate flowers 

 narrowly lanceolate, about 4 mm. long : mature fruit not seen. 



On granite slopes or in sandy woods, Stone Mountain, Georgia. Summer. 



10. Smilax lanceolata L. Stems often 10 m. long, high -climbing, like the branches, 

 terete, usually unarmed except near the base ; branchlets slightly angled, spreading : 

 leaves numerous, bright green ; petioles 2-4 mm. long, their sheaths* about as long, with 

 entire or ciliolate margins ; blades thinnish, lanceolate or ovate-lanceolate, 5-8 cm. long, 

 acute or acuminate, lustrous above, lineolate, 5-7-nerved, smooth-margined, acute at the 

 base, dull green beneath : peduncles 6-16 mrn. long, stout-angled : pedicels 8-40, 4-14 

 mm. long: receptacle subglobose or conic, 2-4 mm. long: sepals and petals (staminate) 

 light green, slightly broadened upward, about 4 mm. long, acute : filaments longer than 

 the anthers : berries subglobose, 4-6 mm. in diameter, often 4-10 together, dark red, mostly 

 2-seeded. 



In pine lands and dry woods, Virginia and Arkansas to Florida and Texas. Spring and summer. 

 Fruit ripening the first year. 



