Green-briers & Similar Plants

Green-brier Family - Smilacaceae

Common Smilax Smilax aspera

Native from Macaronesia, through the mediterranean Region to southern Asia and East Africa. Stems slender and with few thorns in wooded situations, but on heavily grazed areas, they become densely thorny and more or less leafless.


Leaves	Leaf	Leaf	Leaf

Flowers	Fruit	Fruit	Grazed stems

Yam Family - Dioscoreaceae

Black Bryony Dioscorea communis

Native from Macaronesia and the British Isles eastwards and south to Iran.


Habit	Habit	Male flower	Female flowers

Male flowers	Leaves	Fruits	Fruits

Birthwort Family - Aristolochiaceae

Evergreen Birthwort Aristolochia sempervirens

Native from Sicily eastwards through the Mediterranean Region and in North-west Africa. A climber, remarkably similar to Common Smilax in its leaves, but lacks thorns on the branches.