Smilax rotundifolia
Wellesley
College Greenbrier is known by
many names, including "Roundleaf Greenbrier" and "Catbrier."
It is a prickly, woody, vine
which can grow thirty feet high if it has a tree to grow on.
Greenbrier can also grow on bushes, on other Greenbrier
plants, or itself. By itself, greenbrier is usually a small
shrub. The leaves of this vine
are heart-shaped and feel leathery to the touch. They grow
up to five inches long. Greenbriers are best
known for their stems, which are tough and have sharp
thorns. When many Greenbriers are together, they make a
thicket
which is very difficult to pass through. This plant often grows
along streams or ponds, or on the edges of forests, though
it will grow in open woods too. It climbs with
tendrils
(root-like parts that grab onto branches or bark). Greenbrier thickets are
great cover
for wildlife. Many birds and other small animals, such as
rabbits, hide inside Greenbriers for protection. Many birds also build
nests in Greenbriers. The Gray Catbird is especially known
for this. Some of the animals which
eat the leaves and stems of Greenbrier are White-tailed
Deer, Beaver, and Eastern Cottontail. The flowers
of Greenbrier smell bad, which attracts insects, such as
Blue Bottle Flies. These flies help pollinate
the plants. Wellesley
College
Copyright, Darren Kimbler
