44 



A GUIDE TO THE WILD FLOWERS 



131. CARRION-FLOWER. SMILAX. 



Several species of Smilax are woody, prickly vines, which, 

 as Catbriers, make the least attractive of our climbing plants, 

 and are omitted from this book. One common species is, 

 however, unarmed, but has a perfectly smooth stem and 

 18-50 ill-scented flowers borne at the end of a long stalk in 

 a close ball-like cluster, followed by a bluish-black berry. 

 {Smilaceae.) 



Carrion-Flower. Smilax herbacea. A much branched 

 scrambling vine, with 7-9 veined oval leaves, that are heart- 

 shaped at the base, and pointed at the tip. Leaf -blade, i/^-5 

 in. long, and 1-3 >^ in. broad. Flowers greenish-yellow, the 

 stalk of the ball-like clusters arising from among the leaf- 

 stalks, not at the ends of the branches. Berries 2-4 seeded, 

 less than J4 in. in diameter. June. Common in thickets, less 

 so in woods. New Brunswick and Ontario, south to Florida, 

 and westward. Fig. 131. There are two or three related 

 unarmed species of Smilax and at least 7 very prickly Cat- 

 briers with more or less woody stems. 



132. WILD YAM-ROOT. DIOSCOREA. 



Twining vines, common in the tropics, where the under- 

 ground parts of some species are widely eaten as yams. 



