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| Florida Haiku, Wildflowers & Native Plant Art, Smilax spp. by Kevin Songer |
wily cat brier
scampers up tall long leaf pine
hold tight sharp tip thorns
…
Catbrier provides the hungry hiker a quick energizing snack with its tender, tasty vine tips. Some sauté the green vine ends in butter and say the flavor resembles asparagus.
Catbrier’s vines are loaded with thorns, making the mature, thickly vining plant a veritable evergreen barrier and providing wildlife with protected communal habitat.
Though a bit on the rambling side, many Smilax species make great green roof and living wall plants as they are drought tolerant and grow well in full sun (think of the beach dunes where they grow lush and thick).
