Smooth Carrion-flower
Smilax herbacea
Found in moist deciduous forests. FloraQuest, phone app (app page) What its natural habitat tells you
69
Strong
Native to Virginia. How scores work Is it native here?
Profile 88%
- Light
- Deep shade, Full sun, Partial shade
- Soil moisture
- Somewhat dry to moist
At a glance
- Life cycle
- Annual or perennial
- Leaves
- Semi-evergreen
- Bloom
- Spring
- Fruiting season
- August to October
Not yet recorded · Height · Spread
Recorded in 86 Virginia counties.
Natural habitats
Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.
Ecological relationships
Who uses this plant?
22CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including VA
Genus host records with ranges including VA · 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
- Lithophane viridipallensPale Green Pinion
- Norape cretataWhite Flannel Moth
Show all 22
- Oiketicus abbotiiAbbot's Bagworm Moth
- Orthosia rubescensRuby Quaker
- Papaipema unimodaMeadow Rue Borer, Chain Fern Border 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
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
Beetles 2
- Euderces picipes
- Euphoria fulgida
Flower visits · Carlinville, Illinois, USA
No records yet · Ants · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects
Growing and identification
Plant details
- Family
- Smilacaceae
- Hardiness
- Zones 4a–8b
- Soil pH
- Acidic to alkaline
- Flower color
- Yellow, green or white
- Fruit begins
- August
- Fruit ends
- October
Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.
Growing sources and scope
- Bloom · “Spring” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team) differs)
- Flower color · “Yellow, green or white” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center differs)
- Fruit begins · “August” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
- Fruit ends · “October” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
- Hardiness · “Zones 4a–8b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Leaves · “Semi-evergreen” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Life cycle · “Annual or perennial” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center differs)
- Light · “Deep shade (less than 2 hours to no direct sunlight); Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day); Partial shade (direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center differs)
- Soil · “Good drainage; Moist; Occasionally dry” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; NC Extension Plant Toolbox, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center differ)
- Soil pH · “Acidic to alkaline” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Also known as
Smilax herbacea var. herbacea; Smooth Carrion flower; Smooth Carrionflower
Conservation status
| Virginia rank | S5? |
|---|---|
| Global rank | G5 |
| VA status | Not verified |
| Federal status | Not verified |
In your garden
Will it fit your yard?
Check this plant against your county, sun and soil moisture. Conditions are checked in your browser.
Choose a county to begin.
Sources
- Digital Atlas of the Virginia Flora
- USDA PLANTS
- Vascular Plants of North Carolina (NC Natural Heritage Program)
- FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Weakley), phone app (app page)
- 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