States
North CarolinaTennesseeGeorgiaSouth CarolinaKentuckyAlabamaFloridaVirginia
Menu

Bristly Greenbrier

Smilax hispida

72
Strong

Native to Virginia. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 76%

Height
20–40 feet
Spread
3–6 feet
Light
Full sun to part shade
Soil moisture
Average to wet

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

Not yet recorded · Life cycle · Leaves · Bloom

This plant is missing most of its facts, so Quercus is looking them up in old botany books.

Recorded in 79 Virginia counties.

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

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
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
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
Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

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

Flies 2
  • Empis loripedis
  • Syrphus americanus

Flower visits · Carlinville, Illinois, USA

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

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Smilacaceae
Hardiness
Zones 4–8

What its natural habitat tells you

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

Growing sources and scope

Conservation status

Virginia rankS5
Global rankG5
VA statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

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.

How to check your spot

Sources