Smilax Linnaeus 1753
Creators: name: Sukhramani, Geetika
name: Choudhary, Ritesh Kumar
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2023
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Plantae
Tracheophyta
Liliopsida
Liliales
Smilacaceae
Smilax

description: Vegetative key for Smilax taxa in the Indian subcontinent:
1. Vines with climbing stems; tendrils well developed ..........................................................................................................................2
- Shrubs with erect stems; tendrils none .............................................................................................................................................11
2. Stem and branches granulate-verruculose or rough .........................................................................................................................15
- Stem and branches non-granulate and smooth ...................................................................................................................................3
3. Branches without prickles ................................................................................................................................................................16
- Branches with straight or recurved prickles .......................................................................................................................................4
4. Leaves glaucous beneath ..................................................................................................................................................................24
- Leaves non-glaucous beneath.............................................................................................................................................................5
5. Leaf blades ovate or cordate deltoid with rounded lobes at base and spiny margins............................................................ S. aspera
- Leaf blades not as above.....................................................................................................................................................................6
6. Petiolar wings well developed, more than 5 mm broad ..................................................................................................... S. prolifera
- Petiolar wings weakly developed, 5 mm or less than 5 mm broad ....................................................................................................7
7. Leaf blades cordate to subcordate at base; petiole 3.5–5 cm ................................................................................................ S. wightii
- Leaf base not as above........................................................................................................................................................................8
8. Leaf blade mucronate or with short cusp at apex .............................................................................................................................30
- Leaf apex not as above .......................................................................................................................................................................9
9. Stem angular.....................................................................................................................................................................................34
- Stem terete ........................................................................................................................................................................................10
10. Leaf blades 5-costae, 6–15 cm × 1.5–8 cm broad, caudate at apex; petiole 5–10 mm long ........................................... S. lanceifolia
- Leaf blades 3-costae, 6–11 cm × 1–2 cm broad, acute or cuspidate at apex; petiole 10–25 mm long.......................... S. arisanensis
11. Leaves petiolate................................................................................................................................................................................12
- Leaves sessile ...................................................................................................................................................................................14
12. Leaves non-glaucous beneath; sparsely branched............................................................................................................... S. turbans
- Leaves glaucous beneath; densely branched ...................................................................................................................................13
13. Leaf blades ovate-lanceolate to ovate, contracted or rounded at base, cuspidate at apex .............................................. S. minutiflora
- Leaf blades broadly ovate or orbicular, cuneate or shallowly cordate at base, obtuse at apex .......................................... S. vaginata
14. Stem 2–3 angled; leaves ovate to cordate; stem and branches prickly.................................................................................. S. munita
- Stem 4 or more angled; leaves rhombic-ovate; stem and branches unarmed.................................................................... S. myrtillus
15. Branches slightly zig-zag; leaf blades oblong-lanceolate, cuspidate at apex; petiole 1–2 cm long............................ S. odoratissima
- Branches straight; leaf blades ovate-elliptic, acuminate at apex; petiole 2.5–5 cm long................................................... S. griffithii
16. Leaf blades cuneate or rounded at base............................................................................................................................................17
- Leaf blades cordate or subcordate at base ........................................................................................................................................20
17. Leaves non-glaucous beneath; blades cuneate at base (never rounded)......................................................................... S. megacarpa
- Leaves glaucous beneath; blades cuneate or rounded at base ..........................................................................................................18
18. Stem and branches terete; blades ovate-lanceolate or ovate oblong, 7–16 cm × 2.5–5 cm .................................................. S. glabra
- Stem and branches shallowly angular; blades ovate or narrowly ovate, 3–9 cm × 1.5–4 cm ..........................................................19
19. Leaf papillose; petiolar wings recurved on entire margins, deltoid at apex ................................................ S. elegans subsp. elegans
- Leaf not papillose; petiolar wings not recurved, minutely acute at apex ............................................... S. elegans subsp. osmastonii
20. Leaves glaucous beneath ..................................................................................................................................................................21
- Leaves non-glaucous beneath...........................................................................................................................................................22
21. Petiole 0.6–1.5 cm long; petiolar wings weakly developed, deltoid at apex; stem terete ..................................... S. menispermoidea
- Petiole 3–5 cm long; petiolar wings weakly developed, not deltoid at apex; stem angular........................................ S. pseudochina
22. Stem angular........................................................................................................................................................................... S. bockii
- Stem terete ........................................................................................................................................................................................23
23. Leaf blade 5–13 cm × 1.5–7 cm broad; petiole 0.5–2 cm ............................................................................................... S. polyandra
- Leaf blade 3–15 cm × 1–5 cm broad; petiole 10–25 mm .............................................................................................. S. biumbellata
24. Petiolar wings well developed, more than 5 mm broad ...................................................................................................................25 - Petiolar wings weakly developed, 5 mm or less than 5 mm broad ..................................................................................................28
25. Petiolar wings transversely hastate, gradually narrowed to cuneate base not clasping the branch, deltoid-acute at apex................... ......................................................................................................................................................................................... S. orthoptera
- Petiolar wings broadly ovate, cordate base clasping the branch, acute at apex ...............................................................................26
26. Leaf blades 7–18 cm × 2.5–13 cm broad, contracted or rounded at base, acute or rounded at apex ...............................................27
- Leaf blades 13–25 cm × 8–17 cm broad, rounded or shallowly cordate, acute or acuminate apex with short cusp ............ S. blumei
27. Leaf blades broadly ovate............................................................................................................................................... S. perfoliata *
- Leaf blades more ovate-elliptic ............................................................................................................................................ S. ocreata
28. Stem and branches angular .......................................................................................................................................... S. microphylla
- Stem and branches terete ..................................................................................................................................................................29
29. Branches straight; internodes 1.5–2.5 cm long; petioles 5–7 mm long; leaf blades 2.5–7 cm × 1–3 cm ............................... S. ferox
- Branches zig-zag; internodes 2–7 cm; petioles 10–15 mm long; leaf blades 2–12 cm × 2–8 cm ........................................... S. china
30. Stem angular...................................................................................................................................................................... S. zeylanica
- Stem terete ........................................................................................................................................................................................31
31. Leaf blades ovate-lanceolate or elliptic-oblanceolate or elliptic......................................................................................................32
- Leaf blades broadly ovate or orbicular.............................................................................................................................................33
32. Leaf blades rounded at base ............................................................................................................................................ S. luzonensis
- Leaf blades cuneate at base .............................................................................................................................................. S. davidiana
33. Leaf blades with more than 3 costae ranging from 5–7 ................................................................................................... S. ovalifolia
- Leaf blades with strictly 3 costae ......................................................................................................................................... S. sailenii
34. Stem and branches closely prickly ............................................................................................................................... S. polyacantha
- Stem and branches sparsely prickly .................................................................................................................................................35
35. Branches zig-zag, leaf blades 4–15 cm × 1.8–6 cm, contracted or rounded at base ......................................................... S. quadrata
- Branches straight, leaf blades 9–12 cm × 6–9.5 cm broad, cuneate at base.................................................................. S. hemsleyana
* S. perfoliata and S. ocreata can be distinguished most reliably from the inflorescence i.e., 7–15 umbels in S. perfoliata versus 1–3 umbels in S. ocreata.
description: Published as part of Sukhramani, Geetika & Choudhary, Ritesh Kumar, 2023, Taxonomic Reconciliation of Smilacaceae in the Indian Subcontinent: Synonymy, Typification, Updated Inventory, and a Vegetative Key for Identification, pp. 42-62 in Phytotaxa 622 (1) on pages 56-57, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.622.1.3, http://zenodo.org/record/10085698