Smilax bona-nox is a glabrous vine usually forming low thickets. Stems are green; spines are also green with reddish or blackish brown apex. Leaves can be deciduous or partially evergreen and are ovate to ovate-lanceolate. There are often spots of lighter green in the leaves. In the first 2-5 leaf axils densely fruited umbels can be found. Peduncles are 1.5-4 cm long and pedicels of pistillate flowers to 1 cm long. The black berries are round to oval and contain only one seed (Radford 1968).

S. bona-nox was first described by Linnaeaus. The Kewensis Index lists species, the person who first discovered it, and the journal where it was first documented. The journal could then give such information as where it was first collected and where it is now deposited. I was unable to decipher the abbreviations used in the index, however, so that information is not detailed here. The following is the entry from the Kewensis Index:

bona-nox. Linn. Sp. Pl. 1030.- Carolina; Georg. barbonica, Hort. Petrop. ex A. DC. Monog. Phan. I. 169 = anceps

A full description of S. bona-nox can be found in the key on page 284 of the Manual of Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, Bell).

GEOGRAPHY

S. bona-nox is a common vine found mostly in areas that have been cut-over. Although it is found throughout the U.S., it is more abundant in the coastal plain. Hence, it is especially common in Georgia, Virginia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Kentucky. Temporally, it is found in late April to May in bloom and later in September through November (Radford 1968).

Smilax Bona-nox L.

NATURAL HISTORY

After exhausting efforts in the Science Library and UGA Herbarium, I was unable to find specific information pertaining to S. bona-nox. From my research on Smilax and S. rotundifolia I would make an educated guess that propagation is by seed or division. Since it is common throughout the Southeast, I would propose that the vine is capable of adapting to variable conditions. The weather in many of the states in which it is located tends to be seasonal --sometimes hot, sometimes cold, wet, dry, etc. Since the vine forms thickets that are low to the ground, it is probable that its photosynthetic abilities are highly adapted to shady environments as would be found under the canopy of a forest.

HOW TO ENCOUNTER

This species is extremely abundant in the states of the Southeast. When searching for it, remember that it is not a climbing vine per se. It tends to form thickets and will, therefore, be found close to the ground. This will help differentiate it from other species of Smilax.

S. bona-nox also has variegated leaves. They are dark green with lighter green specks. At Sam's Farm, you can find this vine virtually everywhere. It is present all over the second growth forest and can be found on the ground in the old field and even extending out to the road. This species poses no threat to your well-being, so when you find it, pick it up.

REFERENCES

Everett, Thomas H. 1982. The New York Botanical Garden Illustrated Encyclopedia of Horticulture. Garland Publishing, Inc. New York. vol.9 pp 3165-3166

Huxley, Anthony. 1992. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardenining. Macmillan Press Limited. London. v. 4. pp 304-305

Jackson, B. Daydon & Joseph Hooker. 1895. Index Kewensis. Clarendon Press. Oxford. pp 925-927

Jones, Samuel B. & Nancy Craft Coile. 1988. The Distribution of the Vascular Flora of Georgia. Athens, GA. pp63

Radford, A.E, H.E. Ahles & C.R. Bell. 1968. Manual of the Vascular Flora of the Carolinas. University of North Carolina Press. Chapel Hill, NC. pp 284-285