Smilax californica

California greenbriar

Family: Smilacaceae · Type: perennial · Native

California greenbriar is a native perennial vine found in northwestern California, the northern Sierra Nevada foothills, and northern Sierra Nevada forests, growing along streambanks in conifer forest at elevations below 1,600 meters. Flowering from May to June, this plant produces small greenish flowers in drooping clusters with linear perianth parts. Growing as a vine 2 to 5 meters long with a short, knotty woody stem and no central pith, it has a distinctively woody climbing structure. Its leaves are dull green, 5 to 10 centimeters long, ovate with an acuminate tip and a slightly heart-shaped base. The plant produces black fruits approximately 6 millimeters in size, containing three seeds.

Habitat: Streambanks in conifer forest

Bloom period: May-Jun

Elevation: < 1600 m

Bioregions: NW, CaRF, n SNF

California counties: Butte, Shasta, Siskiyou, Trinity, Tehama, Nevada, Humboldt, Napa, Del Norte

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.