Happy Mystery Monday!
Can you guess what is pictured in photo #1?
The answer to last week’s mystery is greenbrier, smilax rotundifolia, pictured in photo #2.
A familiar sight in the woods and hedgerows of the eastern United States, greenbrier, smilax rotundifolia — also called catbrier or brambles — is a tough, native vine with glossy leaves and a tangle of sharp, black-tipped thorns. Supported by curling tendrils that spring from the leaf petioles, it clambers up trees and fences or forms nearly impenetrable thickets in the understory.
An adaptable plant, greenbrier can photosynthesize in both shade and full sun, remaining evergreen or partially deciduous depending on conditions. In Spring, clusters of light-yellow flowers appear, followed by dark blue to black berries that persist through Winter. These berries are an important food source for more than forty bird species—from cardinals, catbirds, and grackles, to wild turkeys—as well as white tailed deer and rabbits, and the dense vines provide valuable cover for nesting wildlife.
Though a nuisance to hikers, greenbrier plays an important role in local ecosystems. Its new shoots and tubers, formed from the rhizomes, are even edible, offering both wildlife and humans a surprising foraged treat beneath the thorns.
Mystery Monday is sponsored by the Spy Newspapers and Adkins Arboretum.
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