Smilax nipponica
Family: Smilacaceae
What it is like
Smilax nipponica is a PERENNIAL CLIMBER growing to 2 m (6ft 7in). It is in flower from April to May, and the seeds ripen from August to September. 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): 2
Where it is found
Meadows and thickets in mountains, C. and S. Japan. Forests, grassy slopes, moist places along streams at elevations of 200 - 1400 metres in China.
E. Asia - China, Japan, Korea.
Conservation Status:
Countries/locations it is found in
How it is used
Food
Rating: 3
Leaves and young shoots - raw or cooked and used like asparagus. Fruit - raw or cooked and used in jellies etc. Used when fully ripe. The blue-black berries are 6 - 7mm in diameter. Root - cooked. It can be dried, ground into a powder and then used with cereals for making bread etc. It can also be used as a gelatine substitute.
Root: includes bulbs, corms, tubers, rhizomes etc.
Gelatine: substitutes that is.
Medicine
Rating: 2
The roots are antispasmodic and carminative. They stimulate the circulation. A decoction is used in the treatment of amenorrhoea, arthritis, backache etc.
Antispasmodic: Relaxes muscular spasms and cramps, calming nervous irritation.
Carminative: Reduces flatulence and expels gas from the intestines.
Other
Rating:
How it is grown
We have very little information on this species and do not know if it will be hardy in Britain, though judging by its native range it should succeed outdoors in many parts of the country. It is quite likely that this is the species referred to as S. herbacea nipponica in . The edible uses listed below include those uses listed in as applying to S. herbacea nipponica. The following notes are based on the general needs of the genus. Succeeds in most soils in sun or semi-shade. 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: Perennial Climber
Hardiness:
Growth:
Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)
Shade: Semi-shade, no shade
Moisture: Moist