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Home/Species/ Whiteleaf Greenbrier

Smilax glauca

Walt.

Whiteleaf Greenbrier

G5Secure Found in 36 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
UnknownThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.145550
Element CodePMSMI01070
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomPlantae
PhylumAnthophyta
ClassMonocotyledoneae
OrderLiliales
FamilySmilacaceae
GenusSmilax
Other Common Names
Cat Greenbrier (EN) cat greenbrier (EN) Glaucous-leaved Greenbrier (EN)
Concept Reference
Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
Conservation Status
Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2
Review Date2024-07-16
Change Date1984-03-30
Edition Date2024-07-16
Edition AuthorsN. Ventrella (2024)
Threat ImpactUnknown
Range Extent>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences> 300
Rank Reasons
Smilax glauca is a perennial vine occurring in dry to mesic forests and woodlands, riparian forests, old fields, pastures, hedge-rows, and roadsides in eastern North America from New York and Massachusetts west to Kansas and south to Florida west to Texas in the United States and Mexico. It is potentially threatened by development, rights-of-way maintenance, and invasive species. Little is known about trends, but with a large range extent and over 3,000 occurrences, this species is considered secure.
Range Extent Comments
Smilax glauca occurs in eastern North America from New York and Massachusetts west to Kansas and south to Florida west to Texas in the United States and Mexico (FNA 2002, Weakley and the Southeastern Flora Team 2024). Range extent was estimated to be 2.7 million square kilometers using herbarium specimens and photo-based observations documented between 1993 and 2024 (GBIF 2024, iNaturalist 2024, SEINet 2024).
Occurrences Comments
By applying a 1 km separation distance to herbarium specimens and photo-based observations documented between 1993 and 2024, it is estimated that there are over 3,000 occurrences rangewide (GBIF 2024, iNaturalist 2024, SEINet 2024).
Threat Impact Comments
Although threats are not widely documented, Smilax glauca is potentially threatened by development, rights-of-way maintenance, invasive species, and other threats in some places. However, their overall impact is likely negligible given the species' broad range, large number of occurrences, tolerance of light disturbance, and affinity for typically abundant habitats, as well as no obvious intrinsic vulnerabilities.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Smilax glauca occurs in dry to wet forests and woodlands, bottomland and riparian forests, hardwood flatwoods, pine flatwoods, thickets, prairies, old fields, pastures, hedge-rows, and roadsides and is remarkable for its ecological amplitude (FNA 2002, Weakley and the Southeastern Flora Team 2024).
Terrestrial Habitats
Forest/WoodlandForest EdgeWoodland - HardwoodWoodland - ConiferWoodland - MixedShrubland/chaparralGrassland/herbaceousOld field
Palustrine Habitats
FORESTED WETLANDRiparian
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
OklahomaSNRYes
OhioSNRYes
VirginiaS5Yes
District of ColumbiaSNRYes
DelawareS5Yes
New JerseyS5Yes
PennsylvaniaS5Yes
FloridaS5Yes
New YorkS5Yes
ArkansasSNRYes
KansasSNRYes
IllinoisS2Yes
MissouriSNRYes
TennesseeSNRYes
AlabamaSNRYes
North CarolinaS5Yes
MassachusettsSNRYes
KentuckyS5Yes
Rhode IslandSNRYes
ConnecticutSNRYes
MississippiSNRYes
TexasSNRYes
MarylandSNRYes
IndianaSNRYes
West VirginiaS5Yes
South CarolinaS5Yes
GeorgiaSNRYes
LouisianaSNRYes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
Unknown/undetermined———

—

Plant Characteristics
DurationPERENNIAL
Economic Value (Genus)No
Roadless Areas (36)
Alabama (1)
AreaForestAcres
Blue MountainTalladega National Forest4,986
Arkansas (4)
AreaForestAcres
Brush HeapOuachita National Forest4,205
East ForkOzark-St. Francis National Forest13,037
Pedestal RocksOzark-St. Francis National Forest21,957
Richland CreekOzark-St. Francis National Forest571
Florida (1)
AreaForestAcres
Alexander Springs CreekOcala National Forest2,954
Georgia (3)
AreaForestAcres
Ellicott Rock AdditionChattahoochee National Forest690
Pink KnobChattahoochee National Forest12,127
Sarah's CreekChattahoochee National Forest6,888
Illinois (2)
AreaForestAcres
Bay CreekShawnee National Forest120
Ripple HollowShawnee National Forest3,788
Mississippi (1)
AreaForestAcres
Sandy Creek Rare Ii AreaHomochitto National Forest2,620
North Carolina (8)
AreaForestAcres
Catfish Lake NorthCroatan National Forest11,299
Jarrett CreekPisgah National Forest7,485
Laurel MountainPisgah National Forest5,683
Linville Gorge AdditionPisgah National Forest2,809
Mackey MountainPisgah National Forest5,934
Overflow CreekNantahala National Forest3,379
South Mills RiverPisgah National Forest8,588
Tusquitee BaldNantahala National Forest13,670
Tennessee (2)
AreaForestAcres
Brushy RidgeCherokee National Forest7,469
Sampson Mountain AdditionCherokee National Forest3,064
Texas (2)
AreaForestAcres
Little Lake CreekNational Forests in Texas596
Winters BayouNational Forests in Texas730
Virginia (12)
AreaForestAcres
Adams PeakGeorge Washington National Forest7,135
Bear CreekJefferson National Forest18,274
Beards MountainGeorge Washington National Forest7,505
Brush MountainJefferson National Forest6,002
Elliott KnobGeorge Washington National Forest9,380
Kelley MountainGeorge Washington National Forest7,590
Mill MountainGeorge Washington National Forest10,840
Northern MassanuttenGeorge Washington National Forest9,444
Oak KnobGeorge Washington National Forest10,882
Oliver MountainGeorge Washington National Forest13,090
Raccoon BranchJefferson National Forest4,388
Southern MassanuttenGeorge Washington National Forest11,985
References (6)
  1. Flora of North America Editorial Committee, ed. 2002. Flora of North America, north of Mexico. Volume 26. Magnoliophyta: Liliidae: Liliales and Orchidales. Oxford Univ. Press, New York. 723 pp.
  2. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). 2024. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) data portal. Online. Available: https://www.gbif.org/ (accessed 2024).
  3. iNaturalist. 2024. Online. Available: https://www.inaturalist.org (accessed 2024).
  4. Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
  5. Southwest Environmental Information Network (SEINet). 2024. Collections Databases. Online. Available: https://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/collections/index.php (accessed 2024).
  6. Weakley, A.S., and Southeastern Flora Team. 2024. Flora of the southeastern United States. Edition of March 4, 2024. University of North Carolina Herbarium (NCU), North Carolina Botanical Garden, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. 2203 pp.