Smilax riparia

A perennial climbing vine flourishing in light sandy, medium loamy, and heavy clay soils with mildly acid to basic pH. Grows in semi-shaded woodland or full sun and prefers consistently moist conditions. Flowers June to July with seeds maturing in October. Dioecious species requiring both male and female plants for seed production.

Description

A vine. Mostly it grows each year but can keep growing from year to year in tropical places. It is a climber. The stems are branched. They are 1-2 m long. They can be slightly woody near the base. They can be smooth or hairy and hollow and pithy. The leaf stalk is 0.7-2 cm long with small wings. Tendrils are usually present. The leaf blade is usually oval and 7-15 cm long by 5-11 cm wide. There is one flowering stalk which is slender. It is 3-5 cm long. Flowers of both sexes occur. There are 5-20 flowers on the stalk. The flowers are yellow. The fruit are blue-black berries. They are 7-9 mm across. Some varieties have been described depending on the hairiness of the leaves and flowers.

Edible Uses

Young shoots and leaves can be cooked. The fruit is also edible, though no further details are given; the blue-black berries can reach 9mm in diameter.

Traditional Uses

The young leaves are parboiled and eaten.

This uses section is brief — help expand it

Medicinal Uses

None known.

Distribution

It it a temperate to subtropical plant. It grows in forests and grassy slopes from sea level to 2100 m altitude in China. In Sichuan and Yunnan.

Where It Grows

Asia, China, Japan, Korea, Pacific, Philippines, SE Asia, Taiwan,

Cultivation

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. Whilst sometimes living for several years, this species is often an annual.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.

Propagation

Sow seed in March in a warm greenhouse, though this guidance likely applies to tropical members of the genus. Seeds from cooler-climate plants appear to need cold stratification, with some species taking two or more years to germinate. For temperate species, sow in a cold frame as soon as seed is received, or ideally as soon as it is ripe. Once seedlings germinate, prick out into individual pots when large enough to handle and grow on under glass for at least the first year — normally two years in pots — before planting into permanent positions in early summer. Divide in early spring as new growth begins; larger divisions can go directly into permanent positions, while smaller ones are best potted up and grown on in a lightly shaded cold frame until established, then planted out in summer. Cuttings of half-ripe shoots can be taken in July and rooted in a frame.

Other Uses

None known.

Notes

There are about 300 Smilax species.

Synonyms

Also Known As

Julnamul, Shiode

References (9)

• Altschul, S.V.R., 1973, Drugs and Foods from Little-known Plants. Notes in Harvard University Herbaria. Harvard Univ. Press. Massachusetts. no. 383
• Chen, B. & Qiu, Z., Consumer's Attitudes towards Edible Wild Plants, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. p 26 www.hindawi.com/journals/ijfr/aip/872413.pdf
• Chen Xinqi, Liang Songyun, Xu Jiemei, Tamura M.N., Liliaceae. Flora of China. p 25
• Dc. Monog. Phan. 1:55. 1878
• Hwang, H., et al, 2013, A Study on the Flora of 15 Islands in the Western Sea of Jeollanamdo Province, Korea. Journal of Asia-Pacific Biodiversity Vol. 6, No. 2 281-310 (As Smilax riparia var. ussuriensis)

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