Texas Wildbuds
Smilax tamnoides
(Bristly Greenbrier)
Smilax tamnoides, Bonham State Park, Fannin Co. 4858
Smilax tamnoides, Bonham State Park, Fannin Co. 4854
Smilax tamnoides, Bonham State Park, Fannin Co. 6243
Smilax tamnoides, Bonham State Park, Fannin Co. 4851
Smilax tamnoides, Bonham State Park, Fannin Co. 4863
| Scientific Name | Smilax tamnoides (Smilax hispida) | USDA PLANTS Symbol | SMTA2 |
| Common Name | Bristly Greenbrier, Chinaroot | ITIS Taxonomic Serial No. | 43348 |
| Family | Smilacaceae (Catbrier) | SEINet Reference |
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| Description | Habitat: Average to moist soils, shade or partly; deciduous woods, thickets, floodplains, wooded slopes, stream and river banks. Plant: High-climbing perennial vine, single or multiple stems from a woody base; stems branched, erect to ascending or sprawling, depending on supporting vegetation; new branches are green, turning brown with age, and variably covered in dark brown to blackish prickles of varying sizes; lower stems usually densely prickly, while upper more sparsely so, or sometimes smooth. Leaves: Alternate, stem leaves, ovate to elliptic with pointed tips, 2 to 6 inches long, 1 to 5 inches wide; petioles up to 3/4-inch long; surfaces lustrous and hairless, but lower may have a few prickles along major veins; margins with very small teeth near the base; pairs of tendrils arising at the base of the petiole. Inflorescence: Dioecious flowers (male and female on separate plants) in drooping umbels in leaf axils 1 to 2 inches across, each with up to 25 flowers; blossoms about 1/4-inch across with 6 green to yellow-green tepals; male flowers have 6 creamy white to pale yellow stamens; female flowers with green, round ovary with a 3-parted style at the tip. Bloom Period: March to June. Fruit: Black, round berries, 0.2 to 0.3 inches in diameter. References: Minnesota Wildflowers and SEINet; Smilax hispida in "Manual of the Vascular Plants of Texas" by Correll and Johnston. |
BONAP Distribution Map Smilax hispidaMap Color Key |
Texas Status: Native |
Banner photo of Castilleja indivisa and Lupinus ssp. taken along FM 1323 north of Johnson City, Blanco County
© Tom Lebsack 2026
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