Smilax aspera L.

English: Italian Sarsaparilla

German: Stechwinde

Mandarin: 穗菝葜 (sui ba qia)

Portuguese: Salsaparrilha-brava

Kingdom: Plantae (2659)

  Phylum: Tracheophyta (2572)

    Class: Liliopsida (392)

      Order: Liliales (106)

        Family: Smilacaceae (6)(family description)

          Genus: Smilax (6)

            Epithet: aspera L. (5)

Synonyms: Smilax balearica (Willk. ex A.DC.) Burnat & Barbey, Smilax catalonica Poir., Smilax conferta Jord., Smilax goetzeana Engl., Smilax intricatissima Jord., Smilax longipes Gand., Smilax maculata Roxb. ex D.Don, Smilax mauritanica Poir., Smilax nigra Willd., Smilax oxycarpa Jord., Smilax pendulina Lowe, Smilax picta K.Koch, Smilax platyphylla Jord., Smilax rettiana Willis ex Livera, Smilax rigida Sol. ex Sm., Smilax sagittata Desv. ex Ham., Smilax sagittifolia Lodd., Smilax saxicola Gand., Smilax tetragona L.f., Smilax variabilis Pers., Smilax willkommii Gand.

aspera => rough, sharp to the touch

catalonica => from Catalonia, Spain

conferta => dense, compact, closely crowded together

intricatissima => very intricate, complicated, complex

longipes => long-stalked

maculata => spotted, stained or blotched

nigra => black, blackness

picta => painted or embroidered

platyphylla => flat or broad leaf

rigida => stiff, inflexible

sagittata => possessing or resembling an arrow

tetragona => four-angled, square

Climate: sub-tropical

Habitat: mesophytic

Habit: liana, shrub

Flower colour: beige, white

Check for Smilax aspera at

World Flora Online, GBIF or IPNI

• [69] Smilax aspera L. - Herbari de la Universitat de les Illes Balears
• [697] Smilax aspera - Plants For A Future database
• [1624] Smilax aspera - Flora of China @ efloras.org

• [11] Schönfelder, I. and Schönfelder, P. (1999): Die Kosmos-Mittelmeerflora. Franckh-Kosmos, Stuttgart, Germany.