Tallahala WMA - creekbed flood plain.

There were numerous individuals of this plant that were newly emergent with 2-5 leaves, typically whorled, but this was the one plant I found with more leaves, an apparently vining habit, and developing flower buds. Important features to note: Plant about a meter long at this stage, unbranched, with 16 leaves and functional tendrils. Leaves diminish in size from bottom to top; leaves have petioles about as long as the leaf; leaf blades have 7 nerves/veins, convex crenate borders with minute bumpy irregularities on the margin, shallowly cordate bases, and rather blunt tips. I examined the lower leaf surface with a 10x lens and it was completely glabrous as far as I could tell, with prominent veins, slightly paler than the upper side. There are bracts at the base of the stem. There are two flower buds in axils of lower (not lowest) leaves. At this stage of development the peduncles of the flower buds are slightly longer than the petioles of the subtending leaves.

What is it? Some possibilities:

1. This, and all other Smilax sect. Nemexia at this site, are Smilax herbacea. This would fit the observed characters except that S. herbacea typically has a glaucous underside and is branched, and has a large flower cluster and a peduncle “to 30 cm,” much longer than in this specimen.
2. This, and all other Smilax sect. Nemexia at this site, are Smilax lasioneura. This would fit the observed characters except that S. lasioneura has pubescence on the abaxial side and is branched (also on the herbarium specimens I examined, the peduncle on L. lasioneura was much much longer than the petiole), and the flower cluster is larger. Might the pubescence not have developed yet and the peduncle was still growing on this specimen?
3. This, and all other Smilax sect. Nemexia at this site, are Smilax pulverulenta. S. pulverulenta supposedly has fewer flowers per umbel than S. lasioneura and S. herbacea, and its peduncle is supposedly about the length of the subtending petiole; but it also should have puberulence on the lower side of the leaf.
4. Some of the other Smilax sect. Nemexia at this site are a different species, one of the non-vining Smilax (they all appeared glabrous on the lower leaf surface).

At this point I just want to return to the site in June and look again.