smilax

noun

• 1a widely distributed climbing shrub with hooks and tendrils. Several South American species yield sarsaparilla from their roots, and some are cultivated as ornamentals.

  • Genus Smilax, family Liliaceae

• 2a climbing asparagus, the decorative foliage of which is used by florists.

  • Asparagus (or Myrsiphyllum) asparagoides, family Liliaceae