Smilax nipponica

What to Eat

Edible parts: Fruit, Leaves, Root

Leaves and young shoots can be eaten raw or cooked, used in the same way as asparagus. The blue-black berries, 6–7mm in diameter, can be eaten raw or used in jellies when fully ripe. The root can be cooked, or dried and ground into a powder to combine with cereals for bread-making. It also works as a gelatine substitute.

Where to Find It

It is a temperate plant. It grows in forests and grassy slopes in moist places along streams. In China it grows between 200-1400 m altitude. In Sichuan.

Asia, China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan,

How to Identify

A herb. It can be erect or climbing. The stem is simple and 8-100 cm long. It is smooth, hollow and slightly pithy. The leaf stalk is 1.5-4.5 cm long and with small wings. It can have tendrils. The leaf blade is oval and 4-20 cm long by 2-14 cm wide. There can be powdery hairs underneath. There is one flowering stalk with 20-30 flowers or both sexes. The flowers are greenish yellow or white. The fruit is a round, blue-black berry. It is 6-7 mm across.

How to Grow

We have very little information on this species and do not know if it will be hardy in Britain, though judging by its native range it should succeed outdoors in many parts of the country. It is quite likely that this is the species referred to as S. herbacea nipponica in. The edible uses listed below include those uses listed in as applying to S. herbacea nipponica. The following notes are based on the general needs of the genus. Succeeds in most soils in sun or semi-shade. Dioecious. Male and female plants must be grown if seed is required.

Propagation: Sow seed in March in a warm greenhouse, though this guidance likely applies to tropical members of the genus. Seeds from cooler-climate plants appear to need cold stratification, with some species taking two or more years to germinate. For temperate species, sow in a cold frame as soon as seed is received, or ideally as soon as it is ripe. Once seedlings germinate, prick out into individual pots when large enough to handle and grow on under glass for at least the first year — normally two years in pots — before planting into permanent positions in early summer. Divide in early spring as new growth begins; larger divisions can go directly into permanent positions, while smaller ones are best potted up and grown on in a lightly shaded cold frame until established, then planted out in summer. Cuttings of half-ripe shoots can be taken in July and rooted in a frame.

Medicinal Uses

The roots are antispasmodic and carminative, and stimulate the circulation. A decoction is used in treating amenorrhoea, arthritis, and backache.

Other Uses

None known.

Perennial climbing vine reaching 2 m in height. Flowers from April to May with seeds ripening August to September. Dioecious species requiring both male and female plants for seed production. Tolerates light sandy, medium loamy, and heavy clay soils from mildly acidic to mildly alkaline pH. Grows in semi-shade or full sun and prefers moist soil.

Notes

There are about 300 Smilax species.

More from Smilacaceae

Heterosmilax gaudichaudiana

Heterosmilax japonica

China Root

Heterosmilax polyandra

Heterosmilax yunnanensis

Ripogonum scandens

Supple Jack, Kareao

Smilax anceps

Leg-ripper, Thorny rope