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Smilax rotundifolia

roundleaf greenbrier

Smilacaceae Eastern North America

Attracts Pollinators Drought Tolerant

Native to North America

SunFull Sun – Part Shade – Full Shade

WaterLow · drought-tolerant

HardinessZones 4–9

Overview

Smilax rotundifolia is a woody, climbing and sprawling vine that scrambles 10-20 feet (3-6 m) or more through shrubs and trees using paired tendrils. The green stems are round to slightly four-angled, tough, and armed with scattered stout, broad-based prickles. The alternate leaves are round to heart-shaped, 2-5 inches (5-13 cm) long, glossy green, and leathery, with several curved parallel veins. The plant is dioecious, bearing small, greenish-yellow, six-tepalled flowers in rounded umbels from mid-spring to early summer on separate male and female vines. Female plants ripen clusters of blue-black, waxy berries about 0.25 inch (6 mm) wide that hang on into winter and feed many birds. S. rotundifolia grows in woods, thickets, clearings, and fence lines across eastern North America, spreading by stout rhizomes into dense, thorny tangles that are hard to clear. New shoots resprout quickly after cutting, and the prickles can snag skin and clothing.

Native Range

Smilax rotundifolia is native to eastern North America, from Nova Scotia and Ontario south to Florida and west to Texas and the eastern Great Plains. It grows in woodland, forest edges, thickets, clearings, and disturbed ground over a wide range of soils.

Suggested Uses

Left in place in naturalistic and wildlife plantings, it gives cover and winter berries for birds and small mammals. The young spring shoots are gathered and eaten as a wild green. In most managed gardens it is treated as a thorny weed to be controlled.

How to Identify

Common greenbrier is known by its green, prickly, round-stemmed vines that climb by paired tendrils and carry glossy, round to heart-shaped leaves. The blue-black berry clusters and stout, broad-based thorns are clear field marks. S. rotundifolia differs from Smilax glauca, which has whitened leaf undersides, and from Smilax tamnoides, whose needle-like bristles are darker and finer than its broad prickles.

Appearance

Size & Dimensions

Height10' - 20'

Width/Spread3' - 10'

Reaches mature size in approximately 3 years

Colors

Flower Colors

Foliage Colors

Fall Foliage Colors

Bloom Information

Bloom Period

~6 weeks

Spring

Small greenish-yellow flowers open in umbels from April to June on separate male and female vines. They are insect-pollinated and easy to overlook. Female vines set blue-black berries that ripen in autumn and remain on the plant through winter.

Detailed Descriptions

Foliage Description

glossy green

Growing Conditions

Sun Requirements

SunFull Sun SunPartial Shade SunFull Shade

Tolerates up to 12 hours of direct sunlight daily

• Full Sun: 6+ hours of direct sunlight

• Partial Shade: 3-6 hours of direct sunlight

• Full Shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sunlight

Soil Requirements

pH Range4.5 - 7.5(Neutral)

357912

Soil Types

sand loam clay

Drainageaverage

Water & Climate

Water Needs

Low

Frost Tolerance

hardy

Time to Maturity

2-3 years

Drought Tolerance

Drought tolerant when established

Care & Maintenance

Care Guide

Smilax rotundifolia grows in full sun to full shade on almost any soil, from dry sand to moist clay, across a wide pH range, and is hardy through USDA zones 4 to 9. It is rarely planted and is usually managed as a tough, thorny weed of woodland edges and gardens. The deep rhizomes resprout after the top growth is cut, so repeated cutting or digging over several seasons is needed to weaken a stand. Where it is wanted for wildlife, it needs no care once established and tolerates drought, shade, and poor ground. New canes climb fast and can smother shrubs and small trees. Cutting vines off at the base reduces their spread into the canopy.

Pruning

Cut vines back to the ground in winter to control spread, repeating as the rhizomes resprout. Pull or dig young plants before the rhizomes thicken. Where grown for wildlife, thin the canes to keep the tangle within bounds.