Earleaf Greenbrier
Smilax auriculata
Found in Coastal dunes and beaches; forest edges and thickets. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Florida edition What its natural habitat tells you
Native to Florida. How scores work Is it native here?
Profile 82%
- Light
- Partial shade, Full sun
- Soil moisture
- Dry to moist
At a glance
- Life cycle
- Perennial
- Bloom
- May to July
Not yet recorded · Height · Spread · Leaves
Height: NC species account not read yet.
Spread and leaves: no source found yet.
This plant is missing most of its facts, so Quercus is looking them up in old botany books.
Recorded in 67 Florida counties.
Natural habitats
Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.
Open sand of beaches, dunes and the hollows between them.
Also found with this plant
Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Florida. Shared habitat, not food. 143 animals.
- Red-shouldered HawkButeo lineatus
- Ring-billed GullLarus delawarensis
- Royal TernThalasseus maximus
- Ruby-crowned KingletRegulus calendula
- Ruby-throated HummingbirdArchilochus colubris
- Savannah SparrowPasserculus sandwichensis
- Seaside SparrowAmmodramus maritimus
- Short-eared OwlAsio flammeus
- Song SparrowMelospiza melodia
- SoraPorzana carolina
- Tree SwallowTachycineta bicolor
- Tricolored HeronEgretta tricolor
- Tufted TitmouseBaeolophus bicolor
- White-crowned SparrowZonotrichia leucophrys
- White-eyed VireoVireo griseus
- White-throated SparrowZonotrichia albicollis
- Whooping CraneGrus americana
- Wild TurkeyMeleagris gallopavo
- WilletTringa semipalmata
- Wilson's PloverCharadrius wilsonia
- Yellow RailCoturnicops noveboracensis
- Yellow-bellied SapsuckerSphyrapicus varius
- Yellow-throated WarblerDendroica dominica
Who uses this plant?
21CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including FL
Genus host records with ranges including FL · Smilax
- Acrolepiopsis incertellaCarrionflower Moth
- Amphipyra pyramidoidesMiranda Underwing, Copper Underwing, Copper Amphipyra
- Callopistria floridensisFlorida Fern Caterpillar
- Choristoneura parallelaParallel-Banded Leafroller, Spotted Fireworm Moth
- Cymatophora approximariaLarge Scalloped-Wing, Giant Grey
- Ephestiodes infimellaReddish Ephestiodes
- Eutrapela clematariaCurved-Tooth Geometer, Purplish Brown Looper
- Feniseca tarquiniusHarvester
- Hedone vibexWhirlabout
- Lithophane viridipallensPale Green Pinion
Show all 21
- Marmara smilacisellaX
- Norape cretataWhite Flannel Moth
- Oiketicus abbotiiAbbot's Bagworm Moth
- Phosphila miselioidesSpotted Phosphila
- Phosphila turbulentaTurbulent Phosphila
- Phyprosopus callitrichoidesCurved-Line Owlet
- Proleucoptera smilaciellaGreenbrier Leafminer
- Pseudogalleria inimicellaInimical Borer
- Pseudothyris sepulchralisMournful Thyris
- Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformisEvergreen Bagworm Moth
- Trichoplusia niNi Moth, Cabbage Looper Moth
10BeesSoutheastern regional records
Southeastern regional records · Smilax
Individual names are not available yet.
Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
0Specialist beesPollen specialists
11BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim
Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Smilax
- Bonasa umbellusRuffed Grouse
- Cardinalis cardinalisNorthern Cardinal
- Catharus fuscescensVeery
- Catharus guttatusHermit Thrush
- Catharus minimus/bicknelliGray-cheeked/Bicknell's Thrush
- Catharus ustulatusSwainson's Thrush
- Meleagris gallopavoWild Turkey
- Pinicola enucleatorPine Grosbeak
- Sialia sialisEastern Bluebird
- Turdus migratoriusAmerican Robin
Show all 11
- Vireo solitariusBlue-headed Vireo
Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening
1AntsRecorded seed interactions
- Pogonomyrmex badius
Pogonomyrmex badius: Seed predation.
No records yet · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects
Plant details
- Family
- Smilacaceae
- Flower color
- Green
Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.
Growing sources and scope
- Bloom · “May to July” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition · Carolinas and Georgia
- Flower color · “Green” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
- Life cycle · “Perennial” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
- Light · “Partial shade; Full sun (documented habitat)” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition · Carolinas and Georgia
- primary_flower_color · “green” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
- Soil · “Dry; Moist (documented habitat)” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition · Carolinas and Georgia
Conservation status
| Florida rank | S5 |
|---|---|
| Global rank | G4? |
| FL status | Not verified |
| Federal status | Not verified |
Will it fit your yard?
Check this plant against your county, sun and soil moisture. Conditions are checked in your browser.
Sources
- Atlas of Florida Plants
- USDA PLANTS
- Vascular Plants of North Carolina (NC Natural Heritage Program)
- Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition
- NatureServe Explorer
- Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
- Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
- Smith, Bachelder, Russell, Morales, Mosher & Seltmann 2024, Bee-Specialization-Modeling v0.6.1 (specialist host table compiled from J. Fowler's pollen specialist bee lists), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
- Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)
- Narango, Tallamy & Shropshire 2020, Few keystone plant genera support the majority of Lepidoptera species, Nature Communications