Carrion Flower, Smilax herbacea
Smilaceae or Greenbrier Family (formerly in
the Liliaceae or Lily Family )
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Herbaceous (not woody) vine, climbing with tendrils over other plants.
Leaves broad, pointed, heart-shaped, with parallel veins, alternate on the vine. Male and female flowers are on different plants. Female flowers (below) in a
spherical cluster, greenish white, with six tepals, attractive, but
smell like carrion. Male flowers (not shown -- we need a picture) in a looser, more hemispherical cluster. Fruit a blue-black berry. Blooms in
mid-spring. Sunny, open areas, especially along trails.
Other members of the genus Smilax (greenbriers) in the park have similar leaves, but are woody, perennial, thorny vines. |
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