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Botanical Family · Liliales

Smilacaceae

Greenbrier Or Catbrier Family

4 speciesOrder Liliales2+ well-known plants

The Smilacaceae family (Greenbrier Or Catbrier Family) is a botanical family placed in the order Liliales. In the SASYA catalogue it spans 4 species. Its members are predominantly climbers. Several members are valued in traditional medicine. Familiar examples include Large-Leaf Smilax and Ceylon Smilax.

Browse all 4 species ↓
Representative SMILACACEAE specimen
Representative specimen · Smilacaceae
Key pattern

Heart-shaped or oval leaves with several curved main veins running from base to tip, on woody climbers gripping with a pair of tendrils sprouting from modified stipules at the leaf-stalk base; small flowers on separate male and female vines ripen into a berry.

Stems are frequently armed with sharp, straight or hooked prickles, and the paired tendrils growing from the leaf-stalk, not the stem, are a reliable field mark distinguishing it from most other climbers.

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Typical leaf characters

  • ArrangementAlternate
  • TypeVariable
  • MarginVariable
  • VenationVariable

Characters typical of the family — individual species can vary.

Typical flower & fruit

  • Flower symmetryVariable
  • InflorescenceUmbel
  • FruitBerry

Typical of the family — flowering plants only; species can vary.

Notable members

Large-Leaf SmilaxSmilax ovalifoliaCeylon SmilaxSmilax zeylanica

All 4 species in SMILACACEAE

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