Sarsaparilla is a brambled, woody vine that grows up to 50 m long, with paired tendrils for climbing (often high into the rainforest canopy). \n\nit produces small flowers and black, blue or red berry-like fruits which are eaten greedily by birds. smilax, a member of the lily family, is native to tropical and temperate parts of the world and comprises about 350 species worldwide. \n\nit is native to south america, jamaica, the caribbean, mexico, honduras, and the west indies. the name sarsaparilla or zarzaparilla comes from the spanish word zarza.