Herb latin name: Smilax riparia


Family: Smilacaceae (Greenbrier Family)



Edible parts of Smilax riparia:

Young shoots and leaves - cooked. Fruit. No more details are given. The blue/black berries can be 9mm in diameter.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Perennial Climber


Flowering:
June
to July

Habitat of the herb:

Grows in all parts of Japan. Forests, thickets, grassy slopes, hillsides along valleys, from near sea level to 2100 metres.

Propagation of Smilax riparia:

Seed - sow March 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.

Cultivation of the herb:

Grows in all parts of Japan. Forests, thickets, grassy slopes, hillsides along valleys, from near sea level to 2100 metres.

Medicinal use of Smilax riparia:

None known

Known hazards of Smilax riparia:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.