Greenbriar (Smilax bona-nox)

Family: Smilacaceae | Edibility: Edible (3/5)

Smilax bona-nox is a deciduous Climber growing to 6 m (19ft 8in). It is in flower in June. The species is dioecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but only one sex is to be found on any one plant so both male and female plants must be grown if seed is required). . The plant is not self-fertile. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils.

Edible Parts & Harvest Seasons

Edible Parts: Fruit, Shoots, Roots/Tubers

Harvest Seasons: Spring, Early Summer, Late Summer, Fall, Winter

Flavor & Culinary Uses

Root - cooked. It can be dried and ground into a powder. The root can be made into a gelatine. The root contains a pectin-like substance. Young shoots - raw or cooked. Fruit - raw. — It can be dried and ground into a powder.; The root can be made into a gelatine.; The root contains a pectin-like substance.; Young shoots - raw or cooked.

Habitat & North American Range

Dry to moist soils, sand dunes, fields, clearings and thickets. Well-drained to wet areas in woods, fields, thickets, hedgerows, floodplain forests, full to partial sun, sea level to 1000m. (Zone 4, Zone 5, Zone 6, Zone 7, Zone 8)