Smilax bracteata var. bracteata("Satsumasankirai")
Japanese name: サツマサンキライ（薩摩山帰来） Scientific name:Smilax bracteata var. bracteata
[Overview]
An evergreen climbing subshrub found at forest edges and similar places in the mountains.
The stem is smooth and sometimes has sparse thorns.
Leaves are simple and alternate, ovate to oblong-elliptic, 5–10 cm long, thick, somewhat glossy on the upper surface, with 3–5 conspicuous veins.
The leaf margin is entire.
The petiole has a pair of long tendrils, modified stipules, which twine around other objects, and large plants climb to a height of about 10 m.
It is dioecious.
An inflorescence made up of 3–6 umbels gathered in a raceme is borne at the tip of a stalk extending from the leaf axil, with many male and female flowers.
The flowers are pale yellowish-green with 6 tepals, tinged with red along with the flower stalks and inflorescence stalk.
The tepals of the male flowers are linear-oblong, 0.5 cm long, and curve backward; there are 6 stamens, which protrude conspicuously from the flower.
The tepals of the female flowers are small.
The fruit is an elliptic berry 0.5–0.7 cm long, ripening black.
