Texas Gardening: Texas Native Plant Pictures ( Vines ), 0 by htop

htop wrote:
Greenbrier, Cowvine (Smilax bona-nox), Smilacaceae Family, Texas native, perennial, vine/subshrub/shrub, evergreen, blooms in April through June, can be a noxious weed

There are few plants that I hate, but this one is one of them. It is described as being a low-growing vine which formsf low thickets and having spines at the nodes and along internodes. These sharp spines make it dangerous to try to remove. The stems become very thick and almost woody. It grows from a tuber that is deep in the soil making it difficult to dig up especially when it is growing next to other wanted plants. It grows over other plants if not having support. There is one specimen growing almost all the way up a large cedar tree in the field behind my house.

Some specimens have leaves that are covered with light green splotches while others have purely dark green leaves. The blooms are small, have green tepals and are a greenish white to yellowish white. The 0.25 inch fruit is a black berry which contains one seed which matures in October to November. I never let it produce berries. It is an important deer, cattle, and rabbit browse with the stems being 5-10% of a dee'sr diet. Wild turkey, wood ducks and song birds eat the berries.

For more information, see its entry in the PlantFiles:
http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/31746/index.html

Smilax bona-nox has many leaf variations. Some are not speckled like this one and younger leaves are not as oblong. A vine or subshrub to avoid due to its spines.