Family: Smilacaceae
Plant: Thorny climber with stems several metres long.
Flowers: Cream to green with 6 petals and 6 stamens and hanging in axillary umbels on slender stalks.
Flowering: Mainly September-November.
Fruit: Shiny, black, globular berry 5-8mm diameter borne in grape-like bunches.
Leaves: Alternate, broad elliptic to lanceolate 5-15cm long and 3-10cm wide with 5 longitudinal veins, 2 long coiled tendrils at base and alternately arranged.
Habitat: Rainforest and both wet- and dry-sclerophyll forest.
Features: Climber, large leaves with 5 fine veins and 2 long tendrils at base. Bunches of green to cream flowers. Clusters of black fruit on long stalks. Thorns on stems.
Name:
Smilax From ancient Greek name for the plant.
australis From Latin australis = southern.
|
Type |
Climber/Scrambler |
|
|
Flowers |
Form |
Regular, Cluster |
|
|
Colour(s) |
Cream, Green |
|
|
Petal/Sepal No. |
6 |
|
|
Flowering Month |
9, 10, 11 |
|
Fruit |
Type |
Berry |
|
|
Colour |
Black |
|
|
Other Features |
- |
|
Leaves |
Arrangement |
Alternate |
|
|
Type |
Simple |
|
|
Shape |
Oval |
|
|
Length |
Medium |
|
|
Margins |
Entire |
|
|
Attachment |
Stalked |
|
|
Other Features |
- |
|
Bark |
- |
|
|
Habitat |
Rainforest, Wet sclerophyll forest, Dry |
|
|
|
sclerophyll forest |
|