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NC Native Plant Society:
Plant Details

Smilax rotundifolia

Common Greenbriar, Bullbriar, Horsebriar

Scientific Name:

Smilax rotundifolia

Genus:

Smilax

Species Epithet:

rotundifolia

Common Name:

Common Greenbriar, Bullbriar, Horsebriar

Plant Type

Woody Vine

Life Cycle

Perennial

Plant Family

Smilacaceae (Greenbriar Family)

Native/Alien:

NC Native

Invasive Status:

(*Key)

Size:

3-6 ft., 6-12 ft., 12-36 ft., 36-72 ft.

Bloom Color(s):

Yellow, Green

Light:

Sun - 6 or more hours of sun per day, Part Shade - 2 to 6 hours of sun per day, Less than 2 hours of sun per day

Soil Moisture:

Dry, Moist, Wet

Bloom Time:

April, May

Growing Area:

Mountains, Piedmont, Sandhills, Coastal Plain

Habitat Description:

In a wide variety of upland and wetland habitats. Common throughout NC.

Leaf Arrangement:

Alternate

Leaf Retention:

Deciduous

Leaf Type:

Leaves veined, not needle-like or scale-like

Leaf Form:

Simple

Life Cycle:

Perennial

Wildlife Value:

Important for Wildlife

Landscape Value:

Not Recommended for home landscapes

State Rank:

S5: Secure (*Key)

Global Rank:

G5 - Secure (*Key)

Notes:

The rounded leaves are green & shiny on both sides. Can grow aggressively in forest openings and along edges, and may form dense, impenetrable thickets. The fruits are bluish-black.

The blue-black fruit may persist well into winter

Washington County RI

The Scientific Name is Smilax rotundifolia. You will likely hear them called Common Greenbriar, Bullbriar, Horsebriar. This picture shows the The blue-black fruit may persist well into winter of Smilax rotundifolia

Lisa Lofland Gould

High climbing vine with stout thorns.

Orange Co., NC

The Scientific Name is Smilax rotundifolia. You will likely hear them called Common Greenbriar, Bullbriar, Horsebriar. This picture shows the High climbing vine with stout thorns. of Smilax rotundifolia

Bettina Darveaux

Thorns are not uniform in color. The tip lacks any green.

Orange Co., NC

The Scientific Name is Smilax rotundifolia. You will likely hear them called Common Greenbriar, Bullbriar, Horsebriar. This picture shows the Thorns are not uniform in color. The tip lacks any green. of Smilax rotundifolia

Bettina Darveaux

The thin, shiny, green leaves are widely ovate with a pointed tip. The margins of the leaves and the petioles often have sparse, minute, tooth-like projections visible using a hand-lens.

Orange Co., NC

The Scientific Name is Smilax rotundifolia. You will likely hear them called Common Greenbriar, Bullbriar, Horsebriar. This picture shows the The thin, shiny, green leaves are widely ovate with a pointed tip. The margins of the leaves and the petioles often have sparse, minute, tooth-like projections visible using a hand-lens. of Smilax rotundifolia

Bettina Darveaux

The blue-black berries ripen in fall. The pedicel bases lack prominent bracts as with some species of Smilax.

Orange Co., NC

The Scientific Name is Smilax rotundifolia. You will likely hear them called Common Greenbriar, Bullbriar, Horsebriar. This picture shows the The blue-black berries ripen in fall. The pedicel bases lack prominent bracts as with some species of <em>Smilax</em>. of Smilax rotundifolia

Bettina Darveaux

Links:

USDA PLANTS Database Record

https://auth1.dpr.ncparks.gov/flora/species_account.php
 

https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/smilax-rotundifolia/
 

https://gobotany.nativeplanttrust.org/species/smilax/rotundifolia/
 



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