laurel greenbrier Smilacaceae Smilax
laurifolia L. symbol: SMLA
|Leaf: Alternate, simple, evergreen, oblong to elliptical, parallel veined, entire margins, abruptly terminating, 2 to 4 inches long, leathery, green to yellow-green above.
Flower: Small and greenish-yellow, borne in clusters, appearing in mid-summer.
Fruit: Bluish black berry occurring in short stemmed clusters, each 1/4 to 1/3 inch in diameter, ripens in the late summer of the following year.
Twig: Green to brown-green, round or may be slightly angled, very spiny to spineless, tendrils present.
Bark: Remains green for a long time but eventually turns brownish red.
Form: High climbing, scrambling vine that can form impenetrable thickets.
Looks like: saw greenbrier
- common greenbrier
- bristly greenbrier
| Additional Range Information:
Smilax laurifolia is native to North America.
It is not widely planted. See states reporting laurel greenbrier.
| External Links:
USDA Plants Database
|© Copyright 2015, Virginia Tech|
Dept. of Forest Resources
and Environmental Conservation,
all rights reserved.
Photos and text by: John Seiler,
Edward Jensen, Alex Niemiera,
and John Peterson