White dotted greenbrier (Smilax leucophylla)

Canar or white dotted greenbrier (Smilax leucophylla) is a species of plant in the Smilacaceae, climbing plants, stems have tendrils, dark green stems, cylindrical stems and red or brown stiff spines.

S. leucophylla has oval-shaped leaves extending to oval wide, sitting alternately, 10-32 cm long and 4-22 cm wide. Leaves have 3-5 veins. The upper side surface is dark green, glossy and white spots.

Flowers appear in the leaf axils. Male flowers are pale white or greenish yellow or brown. The fruit is round, red and black when ripe and stemmed. Seeds are round, located in the middle of the fruit and 1-6 seeds.

This species grows in dry to moist soil in jungles, river banks to ravines and adapts to a pH of 4-6.2. The plant is used as rheumatism, syphilis, ulcers, menstrual disorders, hemorrhoids, swelling due to sprains, antiseptic, antibacterial, stomachache and antidote.

TAXON

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Liliopsida
Order: Liliales
Family: Smilacaceae
Genus: Smilax L. in Sp. Pl.: 1028 (1753)
Species: Smilax leucophylla Blume in Enum. Pl. Javae: 18 (1827)

HETEROTYPIC SYNONYMS

Smilax dulcis Desf. in Tabl. École Bot.: 218 (1804)
Smilax glycyphylla Hassk. in Flora 25(2 Beibl.): 4 (1842)
Smilax latifolia Blanco in Fl. Filip., ed. 2.: 548 (1845)
Smilax leucophylla var. retusa (Blume) Kunth in Enum. Pl. 5: 250 (1850)
Smilax retusa Blume in Enum. Pl. Javae: 18 (1827)
Smilax sankira Kaempf. ex Reider in Geheimnisse Blumisterei 3: 684 (1830)
Smilax vicaria Kunth in Enum. Pl. 5: 262 (1850)

PUBLICATIONS

George, A.S. (ed.) (1986). Flora of Australia 46: 1-247. Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra.

Kress, W.J., DeFilipps, R.A., Farr, E. & Kyi, D.Y.Y. (2003). A Checklist of the Trees, Shrubs, Herbs and Climbers of Myanmar. Contributions from the United States National Herbarium 45: 1-590.

M.J.E.Coode & al. (eds.) (1996). A checklist of the flowering plants & gymnosperms of Brunei Darussalam: 1-477. Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources, Brunei Darussalam.

Merrill, E.D. (1922). An enumeration of Philippine flowering plants 1(2): 129-240. Bureau of Science, Manila.

VERNACULAR NAME

English: White dotted greenbrier, Canar
Indonesian: Canar
Java: Canar

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