Coprosmanthus japonicus Kunth; Smilax china f. obtusa H. Léveillé; S. china var. taiheiensis (Hayata) T. Koyama; S. pteropus Miquel; S. taiheiensis Hayata.

Vines climbing. Stem branched, terete, 1--5 m, woody, sparsely prickly. Petiole 0.5--1.5 cm, narrowly winged for 1/2--2/3 its length; abscission zone just above winged portion; tendrils usually present. Leaf blade elliptic to orbicular, 3--10 × 1.5--6(--10) cm. Inflorescence borne in axil of young leaf, of 1 umbel, basally not prophyllate; peduncle 1--2 cm; umbels of both sexes 10--25-flowered, subglobose, base subglobose, 2--3 mm in diam.; bracteoles many, small. Male flowers: tepals yellowish green, 3.5--4.5 × 1.5--2.5 mm; stamens 3--4 mm; filaments filiform. Female flowers: staminodes 6. Berries red, globose, 0.6--1.5 cm in diam., minutely white powdery. Fl. Feb--May, fr. Sep--Nov. 2 n = 30*, 90*.

Smilax taquetii H. Léveillé (Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. 10: 372. 1912), described from Korea, was identified as S. china by McKean (Notes Roy. Bot. Gard. Edinburgh 44: 196. 1986).

Forests, thickets, hillsides, grassy slopes, shaded places along valleys or streams; near sea level to 2000 m. Anhui, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, ?Liaoning, Shandong, Sichuan, Taiwan, Yunnan, Zhejiang [Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam].