Smilax biltmoreana, common name Biltmore's carrionflower, is a North American plant species native to the south-eastern United States. It is concentrated in the Great Smoky Mountains but with outlying populations in Virginia, North and South Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, Georgia, Alabama, and northern Florida.Biota of North America Program 2014 county distribution map
Taxonomy The species epithet biltmoreana refers to the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina, once owned by George Washington Vanderbilt. Vanderbilt sponsored a significant number of botanical studies in the American Southeast in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries.James R. Troyer. 2006. Botany at Biltmore: an unusual case of private support for science. Journal of the North Carolina Academy of Sciences 122:135-141
Description Smilax biltmoreana is a herb with erect stems up to 60 cm (2 feet) tall. Leaves are egg-shaped to heart-shaped, with wax on the underside but no hairs. Flowers are small and greenish, fruits dark blue.Flora of North America, Vol. 26 Page 471 Smilax biltmoreana (Small) J. B. Norton ex Pennell
References
External links Alabama Plant Atlas