Smilacaceae [SEP] parent taxon
Smilacaceae
Smilacaceae, the greenbrier family, is a family of flowering plants. Up to some decades ago the genera now included in family Smilacaceae were often assigned to a more broadly defined family Liliaceae, but for the past twenty to thirty years most botanists have accepted Smilacaceae as a distinct family. It is considered that the two families diverged around 55 millions years ago during the Early Paleogene possibly near the boundary between Paleocene and Eocene. One characteristic that distinguishes Smilacaceae from most of the other members of the Liliaceae-like Liliales is
Smilax sect. Nemexia
Smilax" sect. "Nemexia is a section of plants in the family Smilacaceae. It consists of the herbaceous plants within the genus "Smilax". "Smilax" species fall into two groups with distinctive morphologies: one group has woody perennial stems with thorns and a vining habit, while the other group has herbaceous stems that die back to the ground each winter. "S." sect. "Nemexia" is the taxon that comprises the herbaceous species. In the past it was often a