Huger's Carrionflower

Smilax hugeri is distinguished from S. ecirrhata and S. biltmoreana mainly by leaf morphology. Specimens from Tennessee are not sharply distinct from S. ecirrhata. J. K. Mangaly (1968) cited this as possible evidence of divergence from that species.

Herbs; rhizomes knotty, slender. Stems annual, erect, 2–5 m, herbaceous, glabrous; prickles absent. Leaves few, disposed distally or evenly distributed, subequal; petiole shorter than blade; tendrils absent or rudimentary; blade oblong, oblong-ovate, or sometimes oval, 2.5–12 × 1.5–7.5 cm, not glaucous, puberulent abaxially, base rounded to slightly cordate, margins entire, apex broadly rounded to obtuse or abruptly pointed. Umbels 1–3, proximalmost axillary to bracts, 5–12-flowered. Flowers: perianth greenish; tepals 3–3.5 mm; anthers shorter than filaments; ovules (1–)2 per locule. Berries globose, 8–10 mm diam., glaucous. 2n = 26.

Flowering Apr--May. Moist, mixed woods and wooded slopes; Ala., Fla., Ga., N.C., S.C., Tenn.

Nemexia hugeri Small, Fl. S.E. U.S., 280, 1328. 1903; Smilax ecirrhata S. Watson var. hugeri (Small) H. E. Ahles

Smilax hugeri, common name Huger's carrionflower, is a North American plant species native to the southeastern United States. It is found in Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, and North and South Carolina.

Smilax hugeri is erect herb up to 5 m (15 feet) tall, without spines. Flowers are small and green; berries round and covered with wax.