Up on top of the escarpment, from Djembla/Mount Kembla to Broker's Nose and Sublime Point, the Sweet Sarsaparilla vine is looking its best at the moment. Called Smilax glyciphylla in plant language, this pretty little vine has colourful red new leaves that almost seem to glow from within.
Enjoying a dusk scramble the other day, my partner and I came across dozens of plants displaying their colourful new red leaves and were completely entranced. While the Illawarra Flame Trees (Brachychiton acerifolius) aren't generally having a good year flower-wise, the leaves of the Sweet Sarsaparilla are doing brilliantly, in quality if not in sheer quantity.
I love Sweet Sarsaparilla as a garden plant because, unlike some of its local climbing cousins (looking at you, Wonga Wonga vine!), it doesn't turn into an absolutely massive liana with a trunk as thick as your thigh, but instead twines daintily around without causing any trouble.
It enjoys part shade, and can be easily seen on any of the tracks along the edge of the escarpment plateau, growing up the trunk of a tree, decorating old stumps or mingled in among the shrubs and saplings making their assorted ways in the understorey.
As well as being beautiful, the young leaves are also edible and quite yummy, though please respect plants growing in natural areas and reserves, preferably by buying and cultivating one of these vines yourself – they do well in pots and will add colour whenever they put on a flush of new leaves.
Emma Rooksby is the coordinator of the Growing Illawarra Natives website
