Smi'lax

Sarsaparilla; a genus of liliaceous plants. See sarsaparilla and its subheadings. S. medic a. A species yielding in part, if not wholly, the Mexican sarsaparilla. S. officinal is. A plant indigenous to tropical South America and cultivated in Jamaica. It yields the sarsaparilla of the U. S. Ph. S. ornata. A source of sarsaparilla recognized by the U. S. Ph. A Central American ^sarsaparilla. S. papyracea. A species found from Guiana to Brazil, regarded as the source of Para sarsaparilla. It is recognized by the U. S. Ph. S. perfoliata. A species found in India and Cochin-China. The root is used like sarsaparilla. S. pseudo-china. A species indigenous to the United States and the West Indies. S. sarsaparilla. A name for various tuberous-rooted species, especially S. pseudo-china, S. lanceolata, and S. Walter i. The S. sarsaparilla of Linnaeus, formerly regarded as the source of the true medicinal sarsaparilla, is of doubtful origin, and is not now recognized as growing in the United States. The 5". sarsaparilla of Pursh is S. glauca. S. syphilitic a. A species growing on the Ca iquiaire River, said to be a source of true sarsaparilla. [Gr., smilax, a poisonous plant, identified by some authorities with the yew.]