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Bullbriar

Smilax bona-nox, Smilacaceae

Sources last read 14 September 2026.

Not yet rated How forgiving it is has not been judged here yet.

Also called Catbriar, Dunes Saw Greenbrier, Greenbriar, Saw Greenbrier, Stretchberry Vine and Tramp's Trouble.

Bullbriar (Smilax bona-nox), the whole plant.
Tim Kiser, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Toxicity is partly unassessed

  • Not assessed for cats. This plant is not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.
  • Not assessed for dogs. This plant is not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.
  • Not assessed for people. NC State Extension publishes no harm statement for this plant. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.

What the sources say about its care

Light
Dappled Sunlight, Deep shade, Full sun, Partial Shade
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Water
Good Drainage, Moist, Occasional Flooding, Occasionally Dry
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Humidity

No source read publishes a humidity figure for any plant on this site. What follows is general guidance for foliage plants.

ASHRAE recommends indoor relative humidity between 30% and 60% 30–60%
Penn State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Soil
Clay, High Organic Matter, Loam (Silt), Sand; pH Acid (<6.0), Alkaline (>8.0), Neutral (6.0-8.0)
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Toxic to cats
Not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety.
ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
Toxic to dogs
Not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety.
ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
Harmful to people
No record of poisoning in people is listed for this plant; that absence is not evidence it is safe.
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026

Routine care

Propagation
Root cuttings, seed
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026

Move something and watch

Loading the simulator. It needs JavaScript; the care table above does not.

Close view of Bullbriar (Smilax bona-nox) foliage.
Close upKrzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

About the plant

Smilax bona-nox, the saw greenbrier, is a species of plant in the family Smilacaceae. It is native to the Southern United States, and eastern Mexico.

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · read 13 September 2026

Native range
C. & E. U.S.A. to Mexico, Bermuda
World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.
Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
Central and Eastern U.S.A., Mexico
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Climate
temperate
World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.
Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
Growth form
bulbous geophyte or helophyte
World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.
Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
Vine, Weed; habit climbing, spreading
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Size
Height 60–240 in
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Flowering
Flowers green, insignificant, white; blooms in spring, winter
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Uses

What sources record people using this plant for. A traditional or medicinal use listed here is a record of use, not advice to eat it or treat anything with it.

Native Americans wrapped cigarettes in the leaves, treated urinary infections with the roots and made bread from them. Cooked roots can be ground to a powder and turned into gelatine. Young shoots are edible raw or cooked.
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026

Plants with similar care

Sources

What this does not cover

The figures above are what published sources say, not measurements of the plant in your room. They say nothing about your pot size, your water, the season, or how far from the glass the plant stands, and those decide more than any figure here does.

Humidity has no species figure because no source read for this site publishes one, and the only temperature published for this plant is a cold floor. The simulator fills those gaps with general figures for its kind of plant, marked as general and listed on how we read sources. Where a toxicity row says the plant was not assessed, that is the absence of a finding and not a finding of safety.

If something is already wrong, the diagnosis tool asks about the soil, the window and the watering, which is where the answer usually is.