Common Greenbriar

Smilax rotundifolia, also known as Common Greenbrier, is a common woody vine native to the Eastern United States. The leaves are glossy green, petioled, alternate, and circular to heart-shaped. They are generally 5–13 cm long. Common greenbriar climbs other plants using green tendrils growing out of the petioles.[1]

The stems are round, green and have sharp spines. The flowers are greenish, and are seen from April to August, the fruit they produce are bluish black berries that become ripe in September.[1]

Common greenbriar grows in roadsides, landscapes, clearings and woods. When it is growing around a clearing, it often forms dense and impassable thickets.[1] It grows throughout the Eastern United States, as far north as Illinois, south to Florida and as far west as Texas.[1]

The young shoots of common greenbriar are reported to be excellent when cooked like asparagus.[2] The young leaves and tendrils can be prepared like spinach or added directly to salads.[2] The roots have natural gelling agent in them that can be extracted and used as a thickening agent.[2]