24 0. S. U. Naturalist. [Vol. 1, No. 2

NOTES ECONOMIC AND TAXONOMIC ON THE SAWBRIER, SMILAX GLAUCA.

W. A. KBLLERMAN.(Plate i.)

In a recent trip through some of the southern counties of theState my attention was arrested by the enormous quantity of Smilaxglauca—Glaucous-leaf Brier as given by Britton in the IllustratedFlora—but generally and appropriately called in these regions whereso abundant, the Saw Brier. In the sandy soil of Hocking County ithence southward to the Ohio River this plant may be seen growingin field and pasture, by I'oadside and on hillside, and everywhere ex-cept in wet soils and dense woods. It climbs over fences and highbushes, displaying its bright foliage of lively green, more effectiveby contrast with the abundant white bloom on the under side. Inthe Autumn it presents showy wreaths of black but glaucous-coatedberries and the most gorgeous coloration of foliage. The leavesremain for the most part late in Fall and Winter, and for brilliantand delicate shades of rose and red are not surpassed by any plantof our entire flora. The forbidding aspect of the long, wiry stems,with their bristly covering of long, ^aw-like or needle-shapedprickles, serves also to distinguish this plant even among theattractive associates of its kingdom,

A BAD WEED.—As a weed this species here stands at the headof the list. Its horrid prickles make it one of the most disagreeableplants with which to come in contact. It revels in the pastures andclambers over the fences; it flourishes in the meadows and fields,and no ordinary practice of crop-cultivation interferes with its

DEC., 1900] Kellerman —Saw Brier. 25

luxuriance. One can readily see that it is not carelessness on thepart of the farmer that suffers half or still larger portions of hisfields to be covered with this pestiferous vine. No other weed isseen in the area and therefore he has been diligent and careful inhis tillage. The meadows even if twice or thrice mowed in a seasonwill yet contain year to year the same quantity of Saw Brier. Thestems spring up quickly, and grow "a foot in a night" the peoplesay; surely the Saw Brier is the freshest plant in the field. In acase specially noticed a garden spot had been put in cultivation in1873, and has been continually and thoroughly cultivated every yearsince, yet the Saw Brier is there to-day,

THE UNDERGROUND PARTS.—This tenacity of life and luxur-iance of growth can be understood when the underground parts areexamined. There are numerous irregular and often large tubers orenlargements which serve as the capacious storehouse of nourish-ment. They are often of fantastic shape. Various forms are shownin figure 1, plate 4. These occur at irregular intervals on the longand tortuous subterranean stems. It is said that they may be foundseveral feet below the surface, though the eight specimens shown onthe plate were found at a depth of six to twelve inches. If they allcould be removed from the soil the weed would of course be practi-cally annihilated. But when found at a depth of several feet—asseen sometimes in making excavations for foundations, walls, etc.—it is evident that the farmer will have to make extraordinary andlong-continued efforts to destroy this pest. The less courageous maywell be appalled in contemplating the herculean task. Fortunatelyswine are fond of the nutritious tubers, and voraciously devour themwhen they are given the freedom of the field and allowed to indulgein their natural propensities. Heavy coating of manure and winterplowing are also indicated.

VARIATIONS IN THE LEAVES.—This form is easily recognizedamong the several species of Smilax indigenous to Ohio, though theleaves vary in size and shape to a remarkable degree. A large num-ber of the common forms are shown in figure 2, plate 4. They aresometimes very broadly cordate-oval, wider than long; often ovate-cordate, oval or ovate, lance-oval, oblong to oblong-ovate, broadlyto narrowly lanceolate and even linear; they are mostly cuspidateat the apex, in some cases tapering co acute or sub-acuminate. Thebase is mostly cordate and subcordate, but occasionally tapering-It is seldom that forms approaching halberd-shape occur in ourregion. An inspection of plate 4 will illustrate these several forms.The twig with fruit marked 6, bears a very common form of the leafas does also the one marked 1. The broad-leaf form is not uncom-mon, but the very broad-leaf as seen in specimens marked 3 and 5 isof much less frequent occurrence. The very narrow leaves are as arule borne on short stems—such as have developed in fields and

O, S. TJ. Naturalist. [Vol. 1, No. 2

meadows where the earlier stems have been destroyed or disturbed.But often on such stems (marked 1) the leaves are broad and havethe natural shape.

SIZE OF LEAVES.— The size of the leaves is strikingly variable.The specimens shown on plate 4 being reproduced from photographsexhibit correctly this variability. Careful measurements also weremade of leaves taken at random from hundreds selected to illustratethis point. These since they give both the length and width of theleaf demonstrate the shape as well as the size. The measurementsare in decimeters and one hundred of them are as follows:

12x11.511x10.512x1113x10.611x1212.5x11.212.2x1012x1111x1111.5x11.111x10.812x11.512x10.613x1112x1111.5x10.812x11.8

12.5x9.512x9.512x1111x11.812.2x9.811.5x1013.5x10.511.5x9.68x5.59x6

9.2x6.58x5.59x7

8.5x7.57.5x4.58.5x6.29x7

8.5x6' 7.5x5.58.6x5.48x69x68.5x68.5x5.89.8x6.49x7.38.3x5.89x6.59.9x7.68.2x4.68.5x68.8x69.5x7

11.1x2.2

9x29x3.58x1.56x0.78x1.57x1.86.8x27.5x2.25.5x2.57.6x2.27.8x26.5x27x0.88.4x0.78x1.48.5x29x3.5

9.5x3.88x47x2.88x3.84.5x17x2.27x3.26.2x2.58.2x2.86.5x2.25.5x2.97.3x2.78x1.89.5x1.99.5x2.28.4x2.28x2.5

7.8x2.27.3x2.86x1.75.3x1.68x3.47.5x2.56x2.56x2.86x2.67x2.88.4x39.8x3.510x3.59.6x3.87.5x1.79.4x2.5

DESCRIPTION OF THE LEAF.—Neither the description as givenoriginally (1787) by Walter nor those contained in our Manuals giveany intimation of such variability as actually occurs. Some of themare as follows: Walter says " foliis oblongo-cordatis " ; Wood," ovate, finally nearly orbicular, abruptly contracted at one end " ;Gray, "ovate, rarely subcordate, abruptly mucronate"; Britton," ovate, acute or cuspidate at the apex, sometimes cordate at thebase. " I would suggest the following as applicable to the Ohiospecimens: Leaves mostly ovate, often broadly ovat (occasionally broaderthan long), sometimes oblong-ovate, varying to lanceolate or even linear;the base mostly sub-cordate but often cordate or even cuneate ; the apexcuspidate to acute or sub-acuminate.

SMILAX SPINULOSA.— Britton and Brown in the illustratedFlora, 1: 440, appends to the description of Smilax glauca the follow-ing paragraph: "Smilax spinulosa J. E. Smith, is a form withnumerous small prickles on the lower part of the stem, and moreelongated, sometimes halberd-shaped leaves. It occurs in southernNew York, but is not well understood." However Smilax spinulosa

O. S. U. NATURALIST.

Fig. 1.

Fig. 2.

KELLERMAN ON SMILAX.

D E C , 1900] Kellerman —Saw Brier. 27

is given by these authors as a synonym of Smilax glauca, whichaccording to my judgment is correct.

SMILAX SPINULOSA AN EXTREME FOKM OF S. GLAUCA.—Thematerial secured recently fortunately clears up the case unless Imisapprehend the purport of the above quotation. The " moreelongated leaves " spoken of may find their counterpart in the figureson plate 4, and yet there can be no question thatl they belong toSmilax glauca. The twigs bearing them were in many cases foundattached to the same underground sterns that bore the broad leaves.Even at a glance the identity of the specimens in the field could notbe mistaken; all their characters showed that they were reallySmilax glauca. In herbarium specimens that have been preservedevery gradation may be seen between the extremes shown in theplate. These specimens also show in some cases underground stemsthat bear both leaves and twigs with leaves of the broader form. Asa rule in the cornfields where the soil is not rich and crop-cultivationhas been diligent the narrower leaves (on shorter stems) are com-mon. In richer cornfields, and in meadows, especially if quite fertile,the short stems are clothed with the broader leaves. Abundantevidence was at hand to demonstrate that this form with "moreelongated leaves " (S.spinulosa) is directiy connected with the formcalled S. glauca by the taxonomists. Its peculiarities are doubtlessreferable to the special environment; in no case could these appar-ently aberrant specimens be called a specific or even varietal form.

EXPLANATION OF PLATE 4.—Smilax glauca. Figure 1: Eight specimens of tubers repro-duced from photographs and much reduced. Fig. 2. Twigs ( 1-6) bearing leaves of varyingshapes also separate leaves ( 7-56 ) illustrating variation in shape and size.