By Burt Glover

Walking the woods behind my house, I’m frequently stopped in my tracks by the barbed vines that catch my clothes and rake the flesh like cat claws. The aptly named catbrier (Smilax rotundafolia) is the culprit. Other smilax varieties in our neck of the woods include greenbrier, sawbrier, and the hulking bullbrier. You might mistake this plant for a rose vine, except that for the tendrils and leaves of the Smilax, which are smooth and heart- or oval-shaped. Smilax vines can grow 20 to 30 feet up into the air if their tendrils have sufficient vegetation to attach to.  

Briers have always symbolized pain and barriers, but also enchantment and protection. That old wicked witch shrouded Sleeping Beauty’s 100-year resting place with a seemingly impenetrable layer of briers. Brer Rabbit pleaded to Brer Fox, “Please, just don’t throw me in that brier patch” (knowing full well that it would be his salvation). There are so many other stories. I would be remiss if I did not mention this plant’s importance in popular culture. You may remember the Smurfs cartoons from the 90’s. I’m pretty sure that those Smurfberries they lived off of were from smilax vines. Put that in your Papa Smurf pipe and smoke it!

Lanceleaf greenbriar (Smilax smallii) is a favorite decoration in Carolina holiday celebrations. Also called “Christmas smilax,” this evergreen vine can be found woven into wreaths, centerpieces and garlands and hanging from chandeliers, doorways and church pulpits.

The Greek translation of “Smilax” is “poison.” This translation has been determined to indicate that it is an antidote to poison. Because of its fang-like thorns, they reckoned that it would be an antidote to snake bites. While that is probably not so, there are no parts of this plant that are deemed to be poisonous.

In my walks in the woods, I frequently munch on the growing stems of this plant — they are delicious raw or in salads. In springtime, the growing stems, leaves and clingy tendrils of any species are actually quite tasty. I collect a goodly handful of the tender stems, and saute them in butter. Being related to the asparagus family, it is a treat. The root, or rhizome that the vine grows from is another matter. 

The root of Jamaican variety of the vine (Smilax ornata) is used to make the drink Sarsaparilla. It was quite a popular drink amongst cowboys and sailors in the olden days. It turns out that, before antibiotics, this drink was seen as a popular remedy for certain ‘social diseases.’ Line me up, bartender! I’m pretty sure that sarsaparilla can be made from any variety of Smilax, but it is only with the addition of sassafras root and lots of sugar that its popularity took off with the masses of people. Root beer!

Otherwise, Smilax root is said to be edible. Certain hardy peoples have been said to crush it, soak it in water and obtain a type of flour from it or, alternately, used it to make a juice, or as a thickener in sauces. I attempted to do this once with a huge rootstock that I dug up (some of these grow up to 75 lbs.). I would only undertake the effort again if I were starving,

Though there is no hard scientific data to support the claims, patents for compounds derived from smilax have been granted — in 2001 for steroids with the ability to treat senile dementia and Alzheimers; in 2003 for flavonoids with the ability to treat autoimmune diseases and inflammatory reactions. Other compounds derived from the root have been studied as antivirals and as a treatment for liver cancer. Certainly this plant merits further investigation.  

Smilax varieties have been a part of our landscape for tens of thousands of years. Their small, white flower clusters attract a wide variety of bees, beetles, moths and butterflies. Their leaves are eaten by deer, rabbits and caterpillars. Their red to purple berries persist well into winter and provide a valuable food source for many animals, including turtles, deer, bears and dozens of species of birds. Beavers enjoy munching on their roots. Dense thickets of these vines provide shelter and protection from predators for a wide variety of birds and animals. Just ask Brer Rabbit.

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Contributor Burt Glover became an accidental naturalist during his earliest childhood days exploring the dirt roads, backyards, polo field and barns of the Magnolia-Knox-Mead neighborhood of 1950s Aiken. Birds are his first love, and he can identify an impressive range by song alone. He asserts that he is an observer, not an expert, on the topics of his writings, which range from birds, box turtles, frogs and foraging, to wasps, weeds, weather and beyond.