Saw Greenbrier (Smilax bona-nox)

22 December 2015: Saw Greenbrier (Smilax bona-nox) was observed on the Cicada Trail at the Lewisville Lake Environmental Learning Area (LLELA) in Lewisville, Texas. Saw Greebrier is a native plant to North America and is most pronounced in terms of its distribution within the eastern half of the United States especially those states north of Texas to the southern edge of the Great Lakes thence east to the Atlantic Coast and south to the Gulf of Mexico. Saw Greenbrier is also native to Mexico and is most pronounced in terms of its presence along the Gulf of Mexico coastline and the Sierra Madre Oriental and occurs intermittently per its distribution to the border with Guatemala. Its most southern range occurs in northern Guatemala. According to the Natural Resources Conservation Service of the US Department of Agriculture and its Plant Database, at least three subspecies are recognized in the biogeographic context described: exauriculata, hastata, and hederifolia. The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center’s entry for Saw Greenbrier mentions at least two additional common names for this native plant: Catbrier and Bullbrier. Yet another common name for Saw Greenbrier is Cowvine. The range maps at the NRCS Plant Database include several counties in the larger North Central Texas area as having confirmed the presence of Saw Greenbrier including Denton County where we made our observation. Because of its native status in North America, Saw Greenbrier is an authentic resident of the Western Hemisphere. LLELA is administered by a cooperative partnership between the US Army Corps of Engineers, the City of Lewisville, Texas, the Lewisville Independent School District, and the University of North Texas.

Sources:

“Saw Greenbrier Vine—Smilax bona-nox,” The Transmutational Garden, January 21, 2015, photographs, description, specific to the North Texas region, accessed 1.7.16, https://transmutationalgarden.wordpress.com/2015/01/21/saw-greenbrier-vine-smilax-bona-nox/

“Smilax bona-nox,” Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, University of Texas at Austin, description, photographs, resource links, accessed 1.7.16, http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=SMBO2

“Smilax bona-nox L.,” Plant Database, Natural Resources Conservation Service, US Department of Agriculture, range maps, photographs, description, resource links, accessed 1.7.16, http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=smbo2