Common Name:

General Information

Smilax lanceifolia is an evergreen climbing plant that can grow from 1 - 5 metres tall. It produces a cluster of branched stems from a tuberous rootstock - these grow into the surrounding vegetation for support, attaching themselves by means of tendrils[, ].
The plant is harvested fom the wild for local use as a food and a medicine.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

E. Asia - southern China, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines

Habitat

Moist places in forests, forest margins, thickets, shaded places on slopes; at elevations from 100 - 2,800 metres[, ].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Evergreen Climber
Height	3.50 m
Self-fertile	No
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Smilax lanceifolia is found from the warm temperate climate of central south China through to the tropics of southeast Asia.
Succeeds in most soils in sun or semi-shade[].
An extremely variable species, it has been subdivided into a number of subspecis[].
A dioecious species - both male and female forms must be grown if fruit and seed are required.

Edible Uses

Tender young shoots and leaves - cooked as a vegetable[].

Ripe fruits - raw[, ]. The yellowish red to black, globose fruits are 6 - 7mm in diameter[].

Medicinal

A decoction of the roots is used as a treatment for syphilis and rheumatism[].
The juice off the fresh root is taken internally in the treatment of rheumatism, whilst the residue of the root is applied externally to the affected parts[].

The leaves and fruits are used in traditional medicine in Vietnam[].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - sow early spring in a warm greenhouse[]. This note probably refers to the tropical members of the genus, seeds of plants from cooler areas seem to require a period of cold stratification, some species taking 2 or more years to germinate[]. We sow the seed of temperate species in a cold frame as soon as we receive it, and would sow the seed as soon as it is ripe if we could obtain it then[]. When the seedlings eventually germinate, prick them out into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first year, though we normally grow them on in pots for 2 years. Plant them out into their permanent positions in early summer.
Division in early spring as new growth begins[]. Larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. We have found it best to pot up the smaller divisions and grow them on in a lightly shaded position in a cold frame, planting them out once they are well established in the summer.
Cuttings of half-ripe shoots, July in a frame[].