S M I 



S M I 



SMILAX, a genus containing plants of the 

 shrubby, climbing, evergreen kinds. 



It belongs to tlie class and order Dioecia Hex- 

 andria, and ranks in the natural order of Sar- 

 meniacecp. 



The characters arc : that in the male^'the calyx 

 is a six-leaved perianth, spreading, bell-shaped : 

 leaflets oblong, approximating at the base, bent 

 back, and spreading at the tip : there is no corolla, 

 imless the calyx be taken for it: the stamina 

 have six simple filaments : anthers oblong : 

 female — calyx as in the male, deciduous : there 

 is no corolla, the pislillum is an ovate germ : 

 styles three, very small : stigmas oblong, bent 

 back, pubescent : the pericarpium is a globular 

 berry, three-celled : the seeds two, globular. 



The species cultivated are : I . S. aspera, 

 Rough Sniilax ; '2. S. excelsa. Tall Smilax ; 

 3. S. Sarsaparilla, Medicinal Smilax or Sarsa- 

 parilla ; 4. S. laurjfolia. Bay-leaved Smilax ; 



5. S. tamnoides, Black Briony-leaved Smilax ; 



6. S. herhacea, Herbaceous Smilax; 7. S. China, 

 Chinese Smilax; 8. S. Pseudo-China, Bastard 

 Chinese Smilax. 



The first has a perennial root, composed of 

 many thick fleshy fibres, spreading wide, and 

 striking deep: the stems several, slender, angu- 

 lar, armed with short crooked spines, and 

 having claspers on their sides, by which they 

 fasten themselves to any neighbouring plant for 

 support, and rise five or six feet high: the leaves 

 stiff, heart-shaped, and acute-pomted, three- 

 quarters of an inch broad at the base and about 

 two inches long, of a dark green, marked with 

 five longitudinal nerves, and the edges set with 

 a few short reddish spines: the flowers axillary 

 in short bunches, small and whitish : those on 

 the female plants are succeeded by red berries 

 which ripen in autumn, but sometimes black. It 

 is a native of the South of France, Italy, &c. 



There is a variety which has the leaves eared 

 at the base. 



The second species has the roots like those of 

 the preceding : the stems four-cornered and 

 prickly, moimting to the tops of trees by their 

 claspers : the leaves two inches long, and an 

 inch and three quarters broad at the base, having 

 five longitiKiiiial nerves, but no spines on their 

 edges : the flowers and fruit are like those of the 

 first sort. It is a native of Syria. 



The third has a perennial root divided into se- 

 veral branches, which are somevihat thicker 

 than a goose quill, straight, externally brown, 

 intcrnallv white, and three or four feet n\ length : 

 the stems shrubby, long, slender, scandent : 

 the leases alternate, pointed, with long ttndrils 

 at the base: the flowers lateral, usually three or 

 four together upon a common peduncle. It is a 

 native of America, flowering in July and August. 



The fourth species has a thick stalk, taper, 

 rising by claspers ten or twelve feet high : the 

 leaves thick, three inches and a half long, and 

 an inch and half broad : the flowers axillary in 

 round bunches, and succeeded by black berries. 

 It is a native of Virginia and Carolina, flowering 

 in July. 



The fifth has the stems taper : the leaves four 

 inches long, and two inches and a half broad at 

 their base, having seven longitudinal veins . the 

 flowers coine out in long loose bunches from 

 the side of the stalks, and the berries are black. 

 It is a native of North America, flowering ui 

 June and July. 



In the sixth the leaves have the form of the 

 hederaceous plants, but not the consistence, for 

 they are thin : the little umbels of small flowers 

 are on very long slender peduncles, from the bo- 

 som of the leaves. It is a native of North 

 America, flowering in July. 



The seventh has a taper stem, very strong, 

 armed with short stiff spines, and rising twenty 

 feet high by their clampers : the leaves thick, 

 four inches long, and three inches and a half 

 broad at their base, ending in an obtuse point, 

 and having five longitudinal veins : the flowers 

 in close bunches : the berries red : the root ho- 

 rizontal, creeping far and wide, with oblong 

 tubers, knobbed and warted, sometimes branch- 

 ed, pale or reddish within, half a foot long, 

 roundish, scattered. It should be chosen full, 

 heavy, and compact, of a reddish colour, and 

 free from rottenness ; for it is much subject to 

 be gnawed by worms. It is a native of China, 

 Cochinchina, and Japan. 



The eighth species has a shrubby stem, very 

 long, slender, with few scandent branches : the 

 leaves small, the lower cordate, the upper ovate- 

 lanceolate, three-nerved, quite entire, flat, with 

 the margin bent back: the flowers in lateral um- 

 bels : the berries red : the root is horizontal, 

 simple, thick, short, tubercled, with many long- 

 undivided fibres : but according to Bi-owne, 

 small, and divided into a number of slender 

 branches. It is a native of Virginia, Jamaica, 

 China, &c. 



Culture. — The six first hardy sorts may be 

 increased by slipping the roots, layers, and 

 seed . 



In the first mode the slalks arising from the 

 roots should be slipped with roo<s to each in 

 the autumn, and be planted out either in nurserv- 

 rowsfora year or two, or, which is better, where 

 they are to grow. 



In the layer method, the stalks should be laid 

 down in the common manner in autumn, and 

 when well rooted, in the autumn following be 

 taken oft" and planted out as above. 



The seed should be obtained from abroad, and 

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