穿鞘菝葜 chuan qiao ba qia

Smilax prolifera Wallich ex Roxburgh.

Vines climbing. Stem branched, to 8 m, woody; stem and branches smooth or sometimes sparsely prickly. Petiole 2--4 cm, broadly winged for 1/2--2/3 its length; wings 7--12(--25) mm wide, basally deeply clasping node, tapering toward apex; abscission zone distal; tendrils usually developed. Leaf blade usually ovate, 6--17 × 3--12 cm. Inflorescence of 10--30 umbels, 5--17 cm, basally prophyllate; rachis often slightly zigzagged; umbels of both sexes ± grouped in whorls of 2--4, densely many flowered, base ellipsoid, ca. 4 × 3 mm. Male flowers: outer tepals 5--6 × ca. 1 mm, inner ones ca. 5 × 0.3 mm; stamens ca. 5 mm. Female flowers: tepals slightly smaller than male ones; staminodes 3. Berries globose, 4--6 mm in diam., Fl. Apr, fr. Oct. 2 n = 32.

Forests, thickets; near sea level to 1500 m. Hainan, Taiwan, S Yunnan [India, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam].