Laurel Greenbrier
Smilax laurifolia

Family: Smilacaceae

What it is like

Smilax laurifolia is an evergreen Climber growing to 6 m (19ft 8in). See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 8. It is in leaf all year, in flower from July to August. The species is dioecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but only one sex is to be found on any one plant so both male and female plants must be grown if seed is required). . The plant is not self-fertile. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil.

Height (m): 6

Where it is found

Swamps and low ground. Moist woods and thickets. Bays, bogs, pocosins, swamp margins, marshy banks.

South-eastern N. America - New Jersey to Florida and Texas.

Conservation Status:

Countries/locations it is found in

How it is used

Food

Rating: 3

Root - cooked. Rich in starch, it can be dried and ground into a powder to be used as a flavouring in soups etc or for making bread. The root can be up to 15cm thick. Young shoots - cooked. Used as an asparagus substitute.

Root: includes bulbs, corms, tubers, rhizomes etc.

Medicine

Rating: 2

The stem prickles have been rubbed on the skin as a counter-irritant to relieve localised pains, muscle cramps and twitching. A tea made from the leaves and stems has been used in the treatment of rheumatism and stomach problems. The wilted leaves are applied as a poultice to boils. A tea made from the roots is used to help the expelling of afterbirth. Reports that the roots contain the hormone testosterone have not been confirmed, they might contain steroid precursors, however. The root bark is astringent and slightly tonic. An infusion of the root bark has been used as a wash in treating burns, sores and pox.

Astringent: Produces contraction in living tissue, reducing the flow of secretions and discharges of blood, mucus, diarrhoea etc.

Birthing aid: Used in facilitating birth, but not just to cause uterine contrctions.

Poultice: A moist, usually warm or hot, mass of plant material applied to the skin in the treatment of burns etc.

Rubefacient: A counter-irritant and external stimulant, it produces inflammation and redness of the skin.

Tonic: Improves general health. Slower acting than a stimulant, it brings steady improvement.

Other

Rating: 0

How it is grown

Succeeds in most soils in sun or semi-shade. This species is not very hardy in Britain. It succeeds outdoors in S.W. England, but even there it is best when grown against a wall. The fruit takes two growing seasons to ripen. The stems have viscious thorns. Dioecious. Male and female plants must be grown if seed is required.

Propagating it: Seed - sow March in a warm greenhouse. This note probably refers to the tropical members of the genus, seeds of plants from cooler areas seem to require a period of cold stratification, some species taking 2 or more years to germinate. We sow the seed of temperate species in a cold frame as soon as we receive it, and would sow the seed as soon as it is ripe if we could obtain it then. When the seedlings eventually germinate, prick them out into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first year, though we normally grow them on in pots for 2 years. Plant them out into their permanent positions in early summer. Division in early spring as new growth begins. Larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. We have found it best to pot up the smaller divisions and grow them on in a lightly shaded position in a cold frame, planting them out once they are well established in the summer. Cuttings of half-ripe shoots, July in a frame.

Best place to grow: Woodland Garden Sunny Edge; Dappled Shade; Shady Edge;

Habit: Climber

Hardiness: 7-10

Growth:

Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)

Shade: Semi-shade, no shade

Moisture: Moist

Things to keep in mind

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

Parillax laurifolia (L.) Raf. S. alba Pursh. S. hastata var. lanceolata (L.) Pursh. S. laurifolia var. bupleurifolia A.DC. S. virginiana Mill.