Hua dong ha qia, Smilax
Smilax sieboldii

Family: Smilacaceae

What it is like

A climbing vine. The stems are branched. They are 1-2 m long, They are fairly woody. The stem and branches have black needle like prickles. The leaf stalk is 1-2 cm long and has narrow wings for half its length. Tendrils occur. The leaf blade is oval and 3-9 cm long by 2-5 cm wide. The leaf is soft. The flowering stalk has one group of 3-8 flowers of both sexes. The flowers are yellowish-green. The fruit is a blue-black berry. It is round and 6-7 mm across.

There are about 300 Smilax species.

Where it is found

It is a temperate plant. It grows in forests and thickets on grassy slopes from sea level to 1800 m altitude of higher.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan

How it is used for food

Edible parts

Leaves

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

Coprosmanthus oldhamii (Miquel)Masamune; Smilax formosana (Hayata)Hayata; Smilax herbacea L. var. oldhamii (Miquel)Maxim.; Smilax nebelii Gilg.; Smilax oldhamii Miquel; Smilax sieboldii var. formosana Hayata; Smilax sieboldii f. inermis (Nakai)H.Hara; Smilax sieboldii var. inermis Nakai;