East Asian greenbrier is a thorny climbing vine of East Asia, related to America's native greenbriers, with round, glossy leaves and red berries that ripen in fall. It isn't known to grow wild in the U.S., but in Korea and western Japan its leaves are used to wrap rice cakes. It is also called China root.
Appearance
- Growth form
- A woody vine 3–16 ft (1–5 m) long with scattered prickles. It climbs with tendrils and can form tangled thickets.
- Leaves
- Rounded to oval, about 1¼–4¾ in (3–12 cm) long, leathery and glossy, with smooth edges.
- Flowers
- Male and female flowers grow on separate plants. Small yellowish-green flowers appear in rounded clusters in spring.
- Fruit
- Round red berries about ¼–½ in (0.6–1.5 cm) across, ripening in fall and often lasting into winter.
Where it lives
- Typical habitats
- hillsides
- forest edges
- thickets
- Range
- Native to China, Korea, Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines, and parts of mainland Southeast Asia and India. In China it grows from near sea level up to about 6,500 ft (2,000 m). No wild populations in the U.S. have been recorded.
Conservation
- IUCN Red List
- NENot EvaluatedNot yet assessed
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