Smilax officinalis

Smilax officinalis
Botanical illustration
Sarsaparillae radix
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Monocots
Order:	Liliales
Family:	Smilacaceae
Genus:	Smilax
Species:	S. officinalis
Binomial name
Smilax officinalis Kunth
Synonyms
List Smilax barbillana Cufod. Smilax bernhardii F.W.Apt Smilax chiriquensis C.V.Morton Smilax gilgiana F.W.Apt Smilax standleyi Killip & C.V.Morton Smilax tonduzii F.W.Apt Smilax vanilliodora F.W.Apt

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.