Common Greenbrier

Smilax rotundifolia

Found in moderately dry forests; moist forests; forests and woodlands; floodplain and bottomland forests; swamps; ponds, lakes and their shores; pine flatwoods; prairies and grasslands; roadsides, fields and disturbed ground. FloraQuest, phone app (app page) What its natural habitat tells you

Thorny climbing vine

Native to Virginia. Not suggested for planting. How scores work Is it native here?

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Height: 3 inches–20.5 feet
Spread: 5–20 feet
Light: Dappled sunlight, Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture: Somewhat dry to moist

Smilax rotundifolia — fruit photograph — (c) syvwlch, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY 4.0 · Original photograph

Thorny climbing vine. Stiff stem prickles and dense growth need placement away from paths and play areas. Plant caution source

Hidden from default planting suggestions. Wildlife value and native status remain unchanged.

At a glance

Life cycle: Woody perennial
Leaves: Deciduous or semi-evergreen
Bloom: April to May
Fruiting season: Spring to summer

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Recorded in 100 Virginia counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement.

1 of 5

Regional / representative. Shown: Mountains of North and South Carolina; exact site not identified, a neighboring state.Shortia beneath rhododendrons in mountain woodland, Marian Ellis Rowan, 1901. Public domain. Source record.

Named place / source context. Shown: Great Dismal Swamp, North Carolina, as titled by Museum of Fine Arts Boston; nineteenth-century artistic interpretation, a neighboring state.View, Dismal Swamp, North Carolina, Regis Francois Gignoux, 1850. Public domain. Source record.

Regional / representative. Shown: Southern coastal pond margins, Florida and Louisiana to North Carolina; state not identified, a neighboring state.Yellow butterwort beside a moss-hung coastal pond, Marian Ellis Rowan, 1901. Public domain. Source record.

Wet pine flatwoods with a shrub layer. Shown: Shaken Creek Preserve, Pender and Onslow Counties, North Carolina, a neighboring state.Wet Pine Flatwoods, Shaken Creek Preserve - typical shrub layer, Robert Thornhill, undated. CC BY 4.0. Source record.

Barrens grassland after a prescribed fire. Shown: Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky, a neighboring state.Barrens native plants returning after prescribed fire, September 2020, NPS Photo / Rick Olson, September 2020. Public domain. Source record.

Habitats

Moderately dry forests; moist forests; forests and woodlands; floodplain and bottomland forests; swamps; ponds, lakes and their shores; pine flatwoods; prairies and grasslands; roadsides, fields and disturbed ground.

Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there. All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Virginia. Shared habitat, not food. 165 animals.

Belted Kingfisher
Megaceryle alcyon
Birds. 12 shared habitats
Blue Jay
Cyanocitta cristata
Birds. 12 shared habitats
Cooper's Hawk
Accipiter cooperii
Birds. 12 shared habitats
Mourning Dove
Zenaida macroura
Birds. 12 shared habitats
Northern Cardinal
Cardinalis cardinalis
Birds. 12 shared habitats
Red-tailed Hawk
Buteo jamaicensis
Birds. 12 shared habitats
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Regulus calendula
Birds. 12 shared habitats
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Accipiter striatus
Birds. 12 shared habitats
Tufted Titmouse
Baeolophus bicolor
Birds. 12 shared habitats
Turkey Vulture
Cathartes aura
Birds. 12 shared habitats
Yellow-breasted Chat
Icteria virens
Birds. 12 shared habitats
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Dendroica coronata
Birds. 12 shared habitats
American Crow
Corvus brachyrhynchos
Birds. 11 shared habitats
American Goldfinch
Carduelis tristis
Birds. 11 shared habitats
American Robin
Turdus migratorius
Birds. 11 shared habitats
Blue Grosbeak
Passerina caerulea
Birds. 11 shared habitats
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Polioptila caerulea
Birds. 11 shared habitats
Brown Creeper
Certhia americana
Birds. 11 shared habitats
Carolina Wren
Thryothorus ludovicianus
Birds. 11 shared habitats
Cedar Waxwing
Bombycilla cedrorum
Birds. 11 shared habitats
Common Nighthawk
Chordeiles minor
Birds. 11 shared habitats
Downy Woodpecker
Picoides pubescens
Birds. 11 shared habitats
Eastern Kingbird
Tyrannus tyrannus
Birds. 11 shared habitats
Eastern Towhee
Pipilo erythrophthalmus
Birds. 11 shared habitats

All wildlife of Virginia

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

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

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family: Smilacaceae
Hardiness: Zones 4a–9b
Soil pH: Acidic to neutral
Flower color: Yellow, green or white
Growth rate: Slow
Growth habit: Single crown
Foliage color: Green
Fruit begins: Spring
Fruit ends: Summer

Growing sources and scope

Bloom · “April to May” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs) · Carolinas and Georgia
Flower color · “Yellow, green or white” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs)
Foliage color · “Green” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Fruit begins · “Spring” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Fruit ends · “Summer” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Growth habit · “Single crown” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Growth rate · “Slow” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Hardiness · “Zones 4a–9b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Height · “3 inches–20.5 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs)
Leaves · “Deciduous or semi-evergreen” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Life cycle · “Woody perennial” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Light · “Dappled sunlight (shade through upper canopy all day); 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
Soil · “Moist; Occasionally dry” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Soil pH · “Acidic to neutral” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Spread · “5–20 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox

Also known as

Common Greenbriar; Round Leaf Green Briar

Conservation status

Virginia rank	S5
Global rank	G5
VA status	Not verified
Federal status	Not verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

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