Smilax Officinalis

Smilax officinalis is a species of flowering plant in the family Smilacaceae, native to southern Central America and northwest South America; Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, and Ecuador. A vine reaching 50 m (160 ft) as it climbs trees into the canopy, its roots are collected and used to make traditional medicines and, like other Smilax species, the soft drink sarsaparilla.

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