Plants of South Eastern New South Wales

Smilax glyciphylla

Flowers and leaves. Photographer Don Wood, Booderee National Park, Jervis Bay Territory

Leafy stems with ripe fruit. Photographer Jackie Miles

Common name

Sweet sarsaparilla

Family

Smilacaceae

Where found

Forest, woodland, and near streams. Coastal north from Eden. Ranges north from Ulladulla.

Notes

Woody climber or creeper, twining and climbing by tendrils. Stems to about 5 m long, with no prickles, hairless. Fruit fleshy. Leaves alternating up the stems, mostly 4–10 cm long, 15–50 mm wide, with 3 longitudinal veins, upper surface green, lower surface glaucous, tips more or less pointed, stalk twisted. Male and female flowers on different plants. Flowers white to creamish, with 6 'petals' each 2-4 mm long. Flowers in few- to many-flowered clusters. Flowers late spring to summer. Fruit shiny black, round, 5–10 mm in diameter.

PlantNET description:  http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Smilax~glyciphylla (accessed 7 February, 2021)