Family: Smilacaceae
Plant: A small, wiry scrambling climber with stems several metres long.
Flowers: Tiny, cream cup-shaped flowers with 6 petals and 6 stamens and hanging in axillary umbels on slender stalks 5-12mm long.
Flowering: October-December.
Fruit: Shiny, black, globular berry 5-8mm diameter in grape like bunches.
Leaves: Alternate, lanceolate 4-10cm long and 1-4cm wide with 3 longitudinal veins and 2 coiled tendrils at the base. The leaves are paler on the underside.
Habitat: Common in rainforest and wet sclerophyll forest.
Features: Climber. Leaves with 3 veins and 2 tendrils at the base. Leaves paler on the underside. Bunches of cream flowers on short stalks.
Name:
Smilax From ancient Greek name for the plant.
glyciphylla From Greek glycys = sweet and phyllon = leaf (referring to the taste of its leaves when boiled).
|
Type |
Climber/Scrambler |
|
|
Flowers |
Form |
Regular, Cluster |
|
|
Colour(s) |
Cream, Yellow |
|
|
Petal/Sepal No. |
6 |
|
|
Flowering Month |
10, 11, 12 |
|
Fruit |
Type |
Berry |
|
|
Colour |
Black |
|
|
Other Features |
- |
|
Leaves |
Arrangement |
Alternate |
|
|
Type |
Simple |
|
|
Shape |
Oval |
|
|
Length |
Medium |
|
|
Margins |
Entire |
|
|
Attachment |
Stalked |
|
|
Other Features |
Discolorous |
|
Bark |
- |
|
|
Habitat |
Rainforest, Wet sclerophyll forest |
|