Editing Smilacaceae (section)

== Genera ==
While both genera are [[dioecious]] and nearly indistinguishable vegetatively, their flowers differ markedly. The flower of ''Heterosmilax'' is fused into a deep bottle-shaped tube containing prominent nectaries and its [[stamen]]s are connected at the bottom, whereas flowers of ''Smilax'' are typically small with unfused floral parts.  ''Smilax'' is a much larger and more widely distributed genus than ''Heterosmilax''. ''Heterosmilax'' has only twelve [[species]] which are confined to [[China]], [[Japan]], tropical [[Asia]], [[Singapore]], [[Malaysia]], and the surrounding islands.

Some taxonomists separate the herbaceous plants native to North America in ''[[Smilax]]'' as the genus ''[[Nemexia]]'', which is known for its malodorous flowers. ''Smilax'' would then be left with only plants of a woody, vining form with thorns. However, the ''[[Flora of North America]]'' does not recognise ''Nemexia'', nor does the  [[Missouri Botanical Garden]]'s Angiosperm Phylogeny Website.<ref>{{cite web |title=Angiosperm Phylogeny Website |url=http://www.mobot.org/MOBOT/Research/APweb/welcome.html |access-date=6 July 2021}}</ref>