Cat Greenbrier (Smilax glauca)

Family: Smilacaceae | Edibility: Edible (2/5)

Smilax glauca is an evergreen Climber growing to 5 m (16ft 5in). See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 4. It is in leaf all year, 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.

Edible Parts & Harvest Seasons

Edible Parts: Leaves, Roots/Tubers

Harvest Seasons: Early Summer, Fall, Spring, Winter

Flavor & Culinary Uses

Root - cooked. It can be boiled and made into a jelly or dried and ground into a powder then used with cereals when making bread etc. Young shoots in spring - raw or cooked. — It can be boiled and made into a jelly or dried and ground into a powder then used with cereals when making bread etc.; Young shoots in spring - raw or cooked.

Habitat & North American Range

Dry to moist sandy thickets, open woods and fields. Dry to wet woods, thickets, hedge- rows, roadsides from sea level to 800 metres. (Zone 4, Zone 5, Zone 6, Zone 7, Zone 8)