Smilax ornata seed Smilax regelli seed
LATIN NAME: Smilax ornata
COMMON NAME: Sarsaparilla
Sarsaparilla is the tough, prickly, climbing or scrambling vine of the warm, moist woods, and its long, slender stems of the glossy, heart-shaped leaves have been a familiar of the warm world for a very long time. The vine climbs up the trees and the supports with the help of the tendrils, and the round heads of the small, greenish-white flowers open through the season, to be followed by the small, dark, berry-like fruits. The roots have a long and careful record of use in the traditional practice of the region. It is a fine, generous vine of the warm, shaded, moist garden.
Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology
Sarsaparilla has a well-documented place in the plant science, and the roots have been studied for a long time for their place in the traditional practice of the warm world. The chemistry of the roots, which have a very long record of use, has been looked at closely, and the plant keeps showing up in the work on the traditional remedies and the saponin-rich plants of the region. The glossy, heart-shaped leaves and the twining, tendrilled stems have also made it a fine garden plant, and it is a regular subject of the studies of the climbing vines and the plants of the traditional practice.
Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications
Sarsaparilla is grown for the roots and the record of use. The long, slender roots have a traditional place in the practice of the region, and they have been gathered and studied for a very long time. In the garden the glossy, heart-shaped leaves and the twining stems make a fine, vigorous cover for a wall, a fence or a trellis in the warm, shaded spot, and the small, dark berries are a food for the birds. It has been written about in the botanical and the herbal papers for its long history of use, and it is a fine, generous vine of the warm, shaded, moist garden.
The sarsaparilla grows naturally in the warm, moist woods, where the long, twining stems climb high into the trees. The roots have a long record of use in the traditional practice of the region, and the plant has been a familiar of the warm-world pharmacies for a very long time. The glossy, heart-shaped leaves give the vine a fine, fresh look as it climbs.
The sarsaparilla is a fine, generous vine for the warm, shaded garden, and the glossy, heart-shaped leaves give a fresh, vigorous cover to the wall and the trellis. The plant is a dependable, long-lived climber.
To grow the sarsaparilla from seed, drop the small, dark seeds into a cup of warm water and let them stand overnight, then sow them at a shallow depth in pots of moist, free-draining soil, keep them in a warm, shaded, sheltered spot and water gently. The seedlings thread up in good time and grow on into twining young vines. In a warm, shaded, moist spot with the rich soil, the glossy, heart-shaped leaves will climb and cover the support in a few seasons.
Mexican sarsaparilla root is harvested from a climbing vine-like tropical plant in the lily family. Because the plant features sharp thorns and is sometimes grown as a living security fence, it is referred to as a greenbrier, which is also the name given for the thicket in which it is purposely grown to keep intruders and stray animals out.
The people of Mexico and Central America have used the root for centuries as a general tonic and rejuvenator. Merchants engaged in the spice trade learned how to use the herb while in the region and introduced its virtues to European physicians in the early 15th century.
Mexican sarsaparilla contains several active compounds that are responsible for its wider range of pharmacological effects, including a variety of plant sterols, saponins and flavonoids.