# Name of the thick green vine with large sharp thorns on it



## Mako22 (Nov 5, 2014)

They are all over South Georgia, about as big around as your thumb and they have really sharp thorns on them. Anyone know the name?


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## dpoole (Nov 5, 2014)

greenbriar


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## dawg2 (Nov 5, 2014)

Greenbrier or smilax vine.  The tuber can be used for a pipe bowl.


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## NCHillbilly (Nov 5, 2014)

Deer love to browse on them, too.


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## The Longhunter (Nov 5, 2014)

dawg2 said:


> Greenbrier or smilax vine.  The tuber can be used for a pipe bowl.



The native American supposedly ate the tubers.  I've dug them up that were about the size of a bowling ball, have offered them to some of the "primitive skills" people to try out, never got any takers.    

I've got some more in a flower bed I've got to get rid of shortly.


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## shakey gizzard (Nov 5, 2014)

One of them jokers almost decapitated me one morning!


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## Swamp Monkey (Nov 5, 2014)

My Dad calls them " wait a minute vines". Cause that's what you'll be saying to those walking behind you when you run into one first.


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## Core Lokt (Nov 6, 2014)

I was thinking he was talking about devil's walking cane. Smilax doesn't get as big as your thumb.


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## ssiredfish (Nov 7, 2014)

Core Lokt said:


> I was thinking he was talking about devil's walking cane. Smilax doesn't get as big as your thumb.



^^^ HAH!!!  The bet is on!!  If I show you some you have to cut em out????? Thumb is about the biggest Ive seen em but I cut some out the other day, I had to climb down and get the loppers cause the hand pruners werent cuttin it!!


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## Forest Grump (Nov 7, 2014)

Core Lokt said:


> I was thinking he was talking about devil's walking cane. Smilax doesn't get as big as your thumb.



Guess it depends on the size of one's thumb, but I've seen some approaching an inch in diameter. 

Devil's Walking Stick (also deer browse material) is a shrubby tree; not a vine though.

http://www.qdma.com/articles/know-your-deer-plants-devils-walking-stick



ssiredfish said:


> ^^^ HAH!!!  The bet is on!!  If I show you some you have to cut em out????? Thumb is about the biggest Ive seen em but I cut some out the other day, I had to climb down and get the loppers cause the hand pruners werent cuttin it!!



Perhaps the OP will post a picture...


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## The Longhunter (Nov 7, 2014)

Core Lokt said:


> I was thinking he was talking about devil's walking cane. Smilax doesn't get as big as your thumb.



Uhhh, yeah it does.

You can come cut it out of my bushes if you don't believe me.


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## deadend (Nov 7, 2014)

Wait-a-minute vine.


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## RossVegas (Nov 7, 2014)

We've got some green viney thorns up here in N. GA.  Don't think there as big around as your describing.  These are very sharp.  Hit one one day with a machete, it popped back, cut the side of my head and face up pretty good.


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## Core Lokt (Nov 10, 2014)

Ok, I have not seen any the size of my thumb. I either have big thumbs or small green briar


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## dawg2 (Nov 10, 2014)

Core Lokt said:


> I was thinking he was talking about devil's walking cane. Smilax doesn't get as big as your thumb.



Actually, if you find old vines they do get that big.


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## dawg2 (Nov 10, 2014)

Core Lokt said:


> Ok, I have not seen any the size of my thumb. I either have big thumbs or small green briar



You have small greenbrier.


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## chehawknapper (Nov 16, 2014)

There are many different species of smilax. The edible root that was spoken of requires quite a process. You are going after the gelatin like powder that is in the root. The root is broken up and mashed into water. The gelatin powder is red and will settle to the bottom. You have to sift out the fibers. The powder is added to soups and stews and you can also use  mixed with cornmeal for bread. Lotta work.


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## GunnSmokeer (Nov 16, 2014)

*this thorny green vine?*

Here's a pic of some hard (but flexible) and very strong thorny vines that grow all over the woods (even in much shade) in north Georgia.

They come up out of the ground a long, long way from others of their kind. 

They can be chopped down and uprooted with great force, but they grow back. There must be a starchy root with reserve food for them underground.

They have no leaves; the stalk of the plant itself is green and processes the sunlight.

Left alone, they can grow up to about 4 feet tall WITHOUT finding any taller structure to climb. When they do find a tree to climb, they go way up and entangle it thoroughly,  and with dozens of other vines also heading up into the tree after one makes a successful invasion.

Look at this picture in Post #20, near the bottom of this page.  

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct...6E2ifpzRCihKGU_qARual5wg&ust=1416287165808096


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## The Longhunter (Nov 17, 2014)

GunnSmokeer said:


> Look at this picture in Post #20, near the bottom of this page.



Smilax/greenbriar

It has leaves, deers eat them.


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## The mtn man (Nov 17, 2014)

We call then saw briers , really it's saw brares, lol


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## NCHillbilly (Nov 18, 2014)

Saw brarrs here, too, cklem.


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## Boar Hog (Nov 18, 2014)

I have them around my lake, and yes they do get as thick as my thumb. I started to weed eat them but had little luck so I took my swing blade to them, nearly took my foot off when it bounced back. I guess it's bush hog time!


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## fireman32 (Nov 18, 2014)

Gitcha vines, wait a minute vines, they're all over my place. There'll be 7 or 8 coming out of one little spot, some have occasional thorns and some you cant put a needle between the points they're so close. I no longer swing a machete at them, I don't think wildcats could scratch me up as bad as half a foot of them things.


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## Hooked On Quack (Nov 18, 2014)

Core Lokt said:


> Ok, I have not seen any the size of my thumb. I either have big thumbs or small green briar





dawg2 said:


> You have small greenbrier.


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## Resica (Nov 18, 2014)

We call them greenhorns.


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## Scrapy (Nov 19, 2014)

Resica said:


> We call them greenhorns.


 We Methodist send out a crew of younguns  to get smilax for Easter.  To wrap around the Altar. Those kids are know nothings when they start out , but by the time they get back, they got the slick vine Smilax. 

Like somebodies albatross on here says. The thing that separates Genious from stupidity is that genious has its bounds.


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## Mako22 (Nov 19, 2014)

Thanks for the replies to my question guys


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## dawg2 (Dec 23, 2014)

Core Lokt said:


> I was thinking he was talking about devil's walking cane. Smilax doesn't get as big as your thumb.



Found this one as big as my finger.  I have some thumb sized, just haven't gotten to them for a pic.


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## mattech (May 21, 2019)

Anyone know how I can kill these in my Indian hawthorns? It's like I have to crawl under the bushes and clip them at the ground and 3 weeks later they about a foot higher than my bushes again. I'm almost to the point of digging my bushes up and starting over.


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## Crakajak (May 21, 2019)

mattech said:


> Anyone know how I can kill these in my Indian hawthorns? It's like I have to crawl under the bushes and clip them at the ground and 3 weeks later they about a foot higher than my bushes again. I'm almost to the point of digging my bushes up and starting over.


I have had luck killing unwanted species by cutting them about a foot off the ground,immediately put a small paper towel with strait roundup on the cut and cover with aluminum foil. Don.t know if it will work for you,but it did me with my problem.


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## doomtrpr_z71 (May 21, 2019)

Crakajak said:


> I have had luck killing unwanted species by cutting them about a foot off the ground,immediately put a small paper towel with strait roundup on the cut and cover with aluminum foil. Don.t know if it will work for you,but it did me with my problem.


That would be your safest bet


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## NCHillbilly (May 21, 2019)

mattech said:


> Anyone know how I can kill these in my Indian hawthorns? It's like I have to crawl under the bushes and clip them at the ground and 3 weeks later they about a foot higher than my bushes again. I'm almost to the point of digging my bushes up and starting over.


Yep, cut and paint with Roundup concentrate. Paint the stump good within a couple minutes of cutting the stem.


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## treemanjohn (May 21, 2019)

Treat the cut with round up concentrate like above. No need to climb under unless it looks bad


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## mrfudd (May 21, 2019)

My wife calls it Cleopatra (way back reference to the Addams Family)


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