If ever there was a native plant gardeners love to hate, it’s greenbriar, Smilax rotundifolia!
Most of the eastern US has been invaded by greenbriar, Smilax rotundifolia. I say invaded because as a native, it is not technically invasive, but rather aggressive; and AGGRESSIVE it is! But when it comes to greenbriar, it is an invasion. Reaching over a 20-feet climb!
Did you know the difference between invasive and aggressive is that invasive refers to non-native plants and aggressive refers to native plants that love your space too much! ~Helen Yoest
Greenbriar’s native range is the Southeastern US that extends as far north as southern Nova Scotia and southern Ontario, and continues west to southern Michigan, Indiana, and southern Illinois; south through southeastern Missouri to eastern Texas; and east to northern Florida. It’s overtaking the EAST! Native or not, and edible or not, as we shall see, it has no place in a cultivated garden.
Smilax spreads both by seed and vegetatively.
Flowers are green and present from April until August, and yes, smilax has incredible wildlife benefits (see below.) But if you close your eyes for long enough, it will spread beyond belief. The birds spread the seed, and the root tuber just grows and grows and grows, forming dense underground thickets.
Blue-black berries appear in September and may stay through the winter. Seeds are red. And be sure to wear gloves when dealing with greenbriar. It is a thorny vine! Once called “The devil’s wrapping yarn” because of its thorns and tendrils.
The preference is partial sun, moist to dry-mesic conditions, and a slightly acidic soil containing loam, clay-loam, rocky material, or sand. Pretty much everywhere. I even have it at the Cottage on Emerald Isle, NC where there it is ALL sand. The seeds can remain dormant in the ground for several years; germination in the soil is enhanced by greater exposure to light.
Wildlife Benefits:
This is the painful part of riding this plant.
Likely pollinator floral visitors of Smilax rotundifolia include a variety of bees and flies, including, Halictid bees, Andrenid bees, cuckoo bees, Syrphid flies, and other flies.
The flowers offer nectar as a floral reward to such visitors; the male flowers also offer pollen.
Songbirds feed on the berries of smilax. These bird species include the Ruffed Grouse, Red-Bellied Woodpecker, American Crow, Catbird, Brown Thrasher, Eastern Bluebird, and White-Throated Sparrow
Also, Greenbriar is also the host plant for various moth species including Spotted Phosphila Moth, Curve-lined Owlet Moth, Proleucoptera smilaciella, and Marmara smilacisella
Edible Benefits:
Berries are delicious raw or cooked into a jam or jelly. Roots can be ground and dried and used like flour. Early Native Americans used the roots as a starch source. The roots can also be used like any root vegetable – boiled, stewed, or roasted.