roundleaf greenbrier, Smilax rotundifolia

Look out, greenbrier! In my youth in West Virginia, all I knew about greenbriers came from direct contact and Br'er Rabbit. They did not seem to have any redeeming value. That does seem to be pretty universally true with all of us these days. Don't throw us in the brier patch! But that wasn't always the case. The Cherokee and Kiowa people knew how to create a food like Jello from the roots. They used other extracts to ease the pain of brier scratches, and as medicine for a variety of maladies. The flowers even have a subtle beauty. Roundleaf greenbrier grows in AL, AR, CT, DE, FL, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, NC, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OK, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VA, WV, NS, and ON(T). Oak Openings Metropark, Lucas Co OH, 5/29/16. Greenbrier family, Smilacaceae.