The evil potato vine has a name

and the name is .....

Smilax bona-nox Catbrier Greenbrier

Smilax bona-nox aka catbrier because it scratches like a cat.

This vine is an evil, evil, evil thing.  It grows from a big root tuber resembling a potato that can get huge; dinner plate size huge.  Its roots spread underground for miles, and forms little root nodes that turn into tubers and start growing another evil vine.  It is virtually impossible to eradicate the evil thing from around here.  And to think my neighbor thought they were ornamentals some 30 odd years ago and planted them all around the place at the base of the oak trees.  Poor trees.  The nasty things will take over and kill anything they are growing in.

And to think that Green Deane says they are edible.  The emergent leaves are said to taste like artichoke and the tuber is suppose to cook up like any starchy tuber.  Maybe next time we grill a steak I'll toss one in the the coals and see how it compares to potatoes.

If I can't conquer the things by digging perhaps we can eat them out!

One of these days I would like to go on the Mead Gardens class Green Deane does.  Of all his classes, I think this would be the one most accessible; though I'm sure walker will be preferred over crutches.  Nasty uneven ground reaches up and tries to grab me; while evil potato vine watches ....