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Lanceleaf Greenbrier

Smilax smallii

Found in bottomland and riparian forests, upland forests, hardwood flatwoods, pine flatwoods, wooded seeps, stream banks, roadsides. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), South Central edition What its natural habitat tells you

71
Strong

Native to Mississippi (estimated). How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 100%

Height
6–10 feet
Spread
3–6 feet
Light
Deep shade, Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture
Somewhat dry to moist

Space about 4.5 ft apart from its recorded spread, about 5 per 100 sq ft. Enter your bed size for a count

Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Life cycle
Woody perennial
Leaves
Evergreen
Bloom
June to July
Fruiting season
Summer to fall

Recorded in 40 Mississippi counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 7

Floodplain and bottomland forests

Forests on low ground beside rivers and streams that flood from time to time.

Forests and woodlands

Forest or woodland where the source does not say how moist or dry.

Hardwood and oak flatwoods

Flat, poorly drained uplands and terraces with oaks, sweetgum and sometimes loblolly pine, wet in winter and dry in summer, but neither a floodplain nor a swamp.

Pine flatwoods

Flat, sandy Coastal Plain pine woodlands, wetter than sandhills and denser than savannas.

Seeps and springs

Places where groundwater keeps the soil or rock wet, such as seepage slopes and spring runs.

Streams, rivers and their banks

Flowing water and its banks, bars and rocky shoals.

Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground

Ground opened by people: roadsides, old fields, pastures, fencerows and lots.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Mississippi. Shared habitat, not food. 83 animals.

Widespread birds also seen here (44)

Found in many habitats here, so not listed above.

All wildlife of Mississippi

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

21CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including MS

Genus host records with ranges including MS · 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
  • 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
  • Acrolepiopsis heppneri
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
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
8BirdsRecorded eating Smilax in Mississippi

Diet records by plant genus, from studies across North America. Not a record from this state. Birds whose range includes Mississippi, most records first.

Avian Diet Database (Hurlbert Lab)

Direct food only. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Birds that eat Smilax 8

Diet records by plant genus, from studies across North America. Not a record from this state. Avian Diet Database (Hurlbert Lab), CC0 1.0.

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Smilacaceae
Hardiness
Zones 7a–9b
Soil pH
Acidic to neutral
Flower color
Yellow or green
Growth rate
Rapid
Growth habit
Forms thickets
Foliage color
Green
Fruit begins
Summer
Fruit ends
Fall

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope

Conservation status

Mississippi rankSNR
Global rankG5?
MS statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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Check this plant against your county, sun and soil moisture. Conditions are checked in your browser.

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How to check your spot

Growing cautions

  • Suckers and forms colonies. USDA PLANTS lists its growth form as thicket forming. USDA PLANTS

For planning only; these do not change the score or Fit.

Sources