Smilax biltmoreana, common name Biltmore's carrionflower,[2] is a North American plant species native to the south-eastern United States. It is concentrated in the Great Smoky Mountains but with outlying populations in Virginia, North and South Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, Georgia, Alabama, and northern Florida.[1][3]
| Smilax biltmoreana | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Liliales |
| Family: | Smilacaceae |
| Genus: | Smilax |
| Species: | S. biltmoreana
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| Binomial name | |
| Smilax biltmoreana (Small) J.B.Norton ex Pennell
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| Synonyms[1] | |
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Taxonomy edit
The species epithet biltmoreana refers to the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina, once owned by George Washington Vanderbilt. Vanderbilt sponsored a significant number of botanical studies in the American Southeast in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries.[4]
Description edit
Smilax biltmoreana is a herb with erect stems up to 60 cm (2 feet) tall. Leaves are egg-shaped to heart-shaped, with wax on the underside but no hairs. Flowers are small and greenish, fruits dark blue.[5]
References edit
- ^ a b Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
- ^ USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Smilax biltmoreana". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 16 November 2015.
- ^ Biota of North America Program 2014 county distribution map
- ^ James R. Troyer. 2006. Botany at Biltmore: an unusual case of private support for science. Journal of the North Carolina Academy of Sciences 122:135-141
- ^ Flora of North America, Vol. 26 Page 471 Smilax biltmoreana (Small) J. B. Norton ex Pennell
