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A small creeping species of Smilax that I have grown for several years without ever noticing it in flower.
I got it as S. arizonica but it doesn't really match the description of that species. It has glaucous undersides to the leaves and the best match seems to be the Chinese S. nana. Far Reaches Farm say: "I liked the old name of Damacanthus which is what I blurt out when weeding around the spinier Bear's Breeches in the garden. Odd little deciduous woody subshrub of congested twisted stems and stoloniferous habit. Nurseries Caroliniana say: "When one first sees this dwarf sub-shrub/groundcover, the last genus one might suspect is "Smilax". Especially since Smilax was formerly placed in the Lily family, Liliaceae. For all practical purposes, I'll call it a dwarf shrub. It has tiny leaves on zig-zagging stems which is probably more dense than a 'Shillings' or 'Helleri' holly. It is native to the western Yunnan province of China. It does well in sun or part shade and most well drained soils. It suckers from underground rhizomes and gets to only 6-12 in. tall. Unfortunately it is deciduous. I first saw this plant in Japan and was totally captivated by it. One may find this selection listed under Damacanthus indicus, which it closely resembles, but it certainly is not this. All smilax, as far as I know, are dioecious with separate male and female plants and this species blooms in spring with diminutive greenish-yellow flowers which resemble miniature lilies." |
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| 10th April 2018 | ||
