Names and Myths

Smilax ancient name for an evergreen oak

rotundifolia round-leaved

Natural history / Folklore

Common names reflect encounters with these sharp thorned vines.

Catbrier – the catlike scratches you get when trying to get through it.

WAIT-A-BIT common name in W. Va, describes progress through tangles, and Blaspheme vine refers to the epithets muttered by travelers.³⁴

Description

The woody stem is terete with 4 angled branches and broad based thorns. The leaves ovate to ovate-lanceolate. Flowers in late May-June fruit bluish black in September.