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- Smilax herbacea
Smilax herbacea — carrion-flower
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New England distribution
Adapted from BONAP data
Native: indigenous.
Non-native: introduced (intentionally or unintentionally); has become naturalized.
County documented: documented to exist in the county by evidence (herbarium specimen, photograph). Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
State documented: documented to exist in the state, but not documented to a county within the state. Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
Note: when native and non-native populations both exist in a county, only native status is shown on the map.
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Facts
Carrion-flower gets its name from its unpleasant smelling flowers, which attract carrion flies as pollinators. The growing tips, including the unfolding leaves, can be eaten raw in a salad or boiled as a potherb.
Habitat
Floodplain (river or stream floodplains), forest edges, forests, meadows and fields, shores of rivers or lakes, swamps, wetland margins (edges of wetlands)
Characteristics
- Habitat
-
- terrestrial
- wetlands
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- Leaf arrangement
- alternate: there is one leaf per node along the stem
- Leaf blade shape
-
- the leaf blade is oblong (rectangular but with rounded ends)
- the leaf blade is ovate (widest below the middle and broadly tapering at both ends)
- the leaf blade is roughly circular, as wide as long
- Leaf blade length
- 45–120 mm
- Flower petal color
- green to brown
- Flower petal length
- 3.5–4.5 mm
- Petal fusion
- the perianth parts are separate
- Inflorescence type
-
- the flowers grow out of the axil (point where a branch or leaf is attached to the main stem)
- the inflorescence is an umbel (with an axis so short it appears the flowers all originate from the same point)
- Ovary position
- the ovary is above the point of petal and/or sepal attachment
- Fruit type (specific)
- the fruit is a berry (fleshy, with the wall enclosing one or more sections, with two or more seeds)
- Fruit length
- 8–10 mm
-
Clonal plantlets
- Axillary bulblets
- there are no bulblets being produced in axils
-
Flowers
- Anther attachment
- the anther is attached by its base to the filament
- Bulblets replace flowers
- there are no bulblets where the flowers are located
- Carpels fused
- the carpels are fused (the number of carpels equals the number of locules)
- Flower number
- At least 20
- Flower petal color
- green to brown
- Flower petal length
- 3.5–4.5 mm
- Flower symmetry
- there are two or more ways to evenly divide the flower (the flower is radially symmetrical)
- Form of style
- the flower has two or more completely separate styles
- Fringed petal edges
- the petals are not fringed
- Hairs on flower stalk
- the flower stalk has no hairs on it
- Inflorescence type
-
- the flowers grow out of the axil (point where a branch or leaf is attached to the main stem)
- the inflorescence is an umbel (with an axis so short it appears the flowers all originate from the same point)
- Length of flower stalk
- 0.5–2 mm
- Length of peduncle
- Up to 300 mm
- Marks on petals
- there are no noticeable marks on the petals
- Nectar spur
- the flower has no nectar spurs
- Number of carpels
- 3
- Number of pistils
- 1
- Number of sepals and/or petals
- there are six petals, sepals or tepals in the flower
- Number of styles
- 0–1
- Ovary position
- the ovary is above the point of petal and/or sepal attachment
- Petal appearance
- the petals are thin and delicate, and pigmented (colored other than green or brown)
- Petal fusion
- the perianth parts are separate
- Sepal appearance
- the sepals resemble petals in color and texture
- Sepal length
- 3.5–4.5 mm
- Sepal orientation
- the sepals are slightly curved outwards from the plant
- Sepals fused only to sepals
- the sepals are separate from one another
- Spathe
- the plant does not have a spathe
- Spathe form
- NA
- Stamen number
- 6
- Stamen position relative to petals
- NA
- Stamens fused outwards
- the stamens are fused to the petals or tepals at or near their bases
- Style petal-like
- the style is not broad and flattened like a petal
- Tepals
- the petals and sepals are similar in size and color
-
Fruits or seeds
- Berry color
- blue
- Capsule ridges
- NA
- Fruit cross-section
- the fruit is round in cross-section
- Fruit length
- 8–10 mm
- Fruit type (general)
- the fruit is fleshy
- Fruit type (specific)
- the fruit is a berry (fleshy, with the wall enclosing one or more sections, with two or more seeds)
- Fruit width
- 8–10 mm
- Other markings on berry
- the ripe fruits are mostly one color without spots or streaks
-
Glands or sap
- Sap
- the sap is clear and watery
-
Growth form
- Lifespan
- the plant lives more than two years
- Root septa
- the roots do not have transverse septa
- Underground organs
-
- the plant has a rhizome (a horizontal underground stem with roots growing from it)
- there are only slender roots on the plant
-
Leaves
- Hairs on underside of leaf blade
- the underside of the leaf is not hairy, or has very few hairs
- Leaf arrangement
- alternate: there is one leaf per node along the stem
- Leaf blade basal lobes
- the leaf blades do not have basal lobes
- Leaf blade base
- the leaf has a distinct leaf stalk (petiole)
- Leaf blade base shape
-
- The base of the leaf blade is cordate (heart-shaped, with rounded lobes) or sagittate (arrow-shaped, with pointed, backward-facing lobes)
- the base of the leaf blade is truncate (ends abruptly in a more or less straight line as though cut off)
- Leaf blade bloom
- the underside of the leaf blade has a noticeable waxy or powdery bloom
- Leaf blade cross-section
- the leaf blade is more or less flat in cross-section
- Leaf blade faces
- both surfaces of the leaf blade are exposed
- Leaf blade form
- Fully-formed (i.e., expanded), +/- green leaf blades are found somewhere on the plant
- Leaf blade length
- 45–120 mm
- Leaf blade shape
-
- the leaf blade is oblong (rectangular but with rounded ends)
- the leaf blade is ovate (widest below the middle and broadly tapering at both ends)
- the leaf blade is roughly circular, as wide as long
- Leaf blade surface colors
- the upper side of the leaf blade is relatively uniform in color
- Leaf blade tip
-
- the tip of the leaf blade is acute (sharply pointed)
- the tip of the leaf blade is obtuse (bluntly pointed)
- Leaf blade veins
- the lateral veins are palmate, (and do not arch towards the leaf tip) or pinnate
- Leaf blade width
- 30–90 mm
- Leaf stalk length
- 10–60 mm
- Leaf type
- the leaves are simple (i.e., lobed or unlobed but not separated into leaflets
- Leaflet number
- 0
- Stipule twining
- the stipules are twining, like tendrils
- Stipules
- this plant has stipules
-
Place
- Habitat
-
- terrestrial
- wetlands
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- Specific habitat
-
- edges of forests
- edges of wetlands
- forests
- meadows or fields
- river or stream floodplains
- shores of rivers or lakes
- swamps
-
Scent
- Plant odor
- the leaves have no particular smell
-
Stem, shoot, branch
- Flowering stem growth form
- the flowering stem trails along the ground or on other vegetation, or floats in the water
- Flowering stem leaves
- there is at least one fully-formed leaf on the flowering stem
- Stem hairs
- the stem is nearly or completely hairless
Wetland status
Occurs in wetlands or non-wetlands. (Wetland indicator code: FAC)
New England distribution and conservation status
Distribution
- Connecticut
- present
- Maine
- present
- Massachusetts
- present
- New Hampshire
- present
- Rhode Island
- present
- Vermont
- present
Conservation status
Exact status definitions can vary from state to state. For details, please check with your state.
- Maine
- unranked (S-rank: SNR)
- Massachusetts
- widespread (S-rank: S5)
Native to North America?
Yes
Synonyms
- Coprosmanthus herbaceus (L.) Kunth
- Nemexia herbacea (L.) Small
Family
Genus
From the dichotomous key of Flora Novae Angliae
2. Smilax herbacea L. N
carrion-flower. Coprosmanthus herbaceus (L.) Kunth; Nemexia herbacea (L.) Small • CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT. River banks, riparian forests, swamp edges, meadows.