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24-531: Central Mountain has an official elevation of 2,247 feet (685 m), making it the second-highest mountain in Columbia County, after Red Rock Mountain . It is the northernmost mountain in Columbia County. The mountain is on the Allegheny Front . A creek known as East Branch Fishing Creek flows along the base of Central Mountain. Morainic topography consisting of knobs and kettles occurs on

48-464: A traditional soda-like Cuban beverage called pru. The roots may also be used in soups or stews. The young shoots can be eaten raw or cooked and are said to taste like asparagus , and the berries can be eaten both raw and cooked. Stuffed smilax pancake, or fúlíng jiābǐng ( simplified Chinese : 茯苓夹饼 ; traditional Chinese : 茯苓夾餅 ), is a traditional snack from the Beijing region. S. glabra

72-449: A woodland nymph who is transformed into a brambly vine. On their own, Smilax plants will grow as shrubs, forming dense impenetrable thickets. They will also grow over trees and other plants up to 10 m high, their hooked thorns allowing them to hang onto and scramble over branches. The genus includes both deciduous and evergreen species. The leaves are heart shaped and vary from 4–30 cm long in different species. Greenbrier

96-574: Is dioecious . However, only about one in three colonies have plants of both sexes. Plants flower in May and June with white/green clustered flowers . If pollination occurs, the plant will produce a bright red to blue-black spherical berry fruit about 5–10 mm in diameter that matures in the fall. The genus has traditionally been considered as divided into a number of sections , but molecular phylogenetic studies reveals that these morphologically defined subdivisions are not monophyletic . Subdivision

120-599: Is 500 to 600 feet (150 to 180 m) thick at this location. Additionally, the Pocono Formation , a rock formation from the Mississippian Period , occurs on the mountain. The soils on Central Mountain are deep-muck soils that are saturated with water. Central Mountain was historically known as North Mountain due to the fact that it is the northernmost mountain in Columbia County. Between 1860 and 1900, it came to be known as Central Mountain, after

144-675: Is a mountain located in Luzerne County , Pennsylvania . This summit is actually on the North Mountain escarpment . The escarpment in which Red Rock Mountain is located is a part of the Allegheny Plateau . This summit features a firetower, known as "Grandview" all located within the Ricketts Glen State Park . The views from the top of the mountain are impressive and varied. To the south you view

168-590: Is best considered in terms of clades (A–D), corresponding to biogeography , with the main divisions being Old World (clades C, D) and New World (clade B) with the exception of S. aspera , that appears to be sister to all other species (clade A) and has a tri-continental disjunction . Section Smilax includes " woody ", prickly vines of temperate North America, for example cat greenbrier ( S. glauca ) and common greenbrier ( S. rotundifolia ). Section Nemexia includes unarmed herbaceous plants of temperate North America, for example " carrion flowers " like

192-479: Is covered in northern hardwood forests . Ecosystems on the mountain include an Ephemeral/Fluctuating Pool Natural Community and a Hemlock Palustrine Forest Natural Community. The mountain contains forested wetlands consisting mainly of hemlock trees. There are open sedge meadows in some places. Sphagnum mosses , sedges, and other herbaceous plants grow on Central Mountain. The federally endangered northeastern bulrush also grows on it. Numerous species use

216-521: Is rubbery in texture and has a large, spherical seed in the center. The fruit stays intact through winter, when birds and other animals eat them to survive. The seeds are passed unharmed in the animal's droppings. Since many Smilax colonies are single clones that have spread by rhizomes , both sexes may not be present at a site, in which case no fruit is formed. Smilax is a very damage-tolerant plant capable of growing back from its rhizomes after being cut down or burned down by fire . This, coupled with

240-742: Is used in Chinese herbology . It is also a key ingredient in the Chinese medical dessert guīlínggāo , which makes use of its property to set certain kinds of jelly . The powdered roots of Jamaican sarsaparilla are known as Rad. Sarzae. Jam. in pharmacy and are used as a traditional medicine for gout in Latin American countries. Köhler's Medicinal Plants of 1887 discusses the American sarsaparilla ( S. aristolochiifolia ), but as early as about 1569, in his treatise devoted to syphilis ,

264-662: The Persian scholar Imad al-Din Mahmud ibn Mas‘ud Shirazi gave a detailed evaluation of the medical properties of chinaroot. Diosgenin , a steroidal sapogenin , is reported from S. menispermoidea . Other active compounds reported from various greenbrier species are parillin (also sarsaparillin or smilacin ), sarsapic acid , sarsapogenin and sarsaponin . Due to the nectar-rich flowers, species like S. medica and S. officinalis are also useful honey plants . The common floral decoration sometimes known as “smilax”

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288-559: The Ridge and Valley Appalachians region, in the other three directions you look out over the deeply dissected Allegheny Plateau . Huckleberry and North Mountain summits may be seen to the west. These mountains are some of the higher peaks in this region of Pennsylvania. Smilax About 300–350 ( see list ) Smilax is a genus of about 300–350 species , found in the tropics and subtropics worldwide. They are climbing flowering plants , many of which are woody and/or thorny, in

312-652: The hermit thrush , the dark-eyed junco , the veery , the black-capped chickadee , the ovenbird , the gray catbird , the common yellowthroat , the scarlet tanager , the eastern towhee , and the eastern wood pewee . Amphibians inhabiting the mountain include wood frogs , pickerel frogs , dusky salamanders , and red spotted newts . Mammals inhabiting the mountain include white-tailed deer and black bears . 41°18′00″N 76°20′47″W  /  41.3000°N 76.3463°W  / 41.3000; -76.3463 Red Rock Mountain Red Rock Mountain

336-473: The monocotyledon family Smilacaceae , native throughout the tropical and subtropical regions of the world. Common names include catbriers , greenbriers , prickly-ivys and smilaxes . Sarsaparilla (also zarzaparrilla, sarsparilla) is a name used specifically for the Neotropical S. ornata as well as a catch-all term in particular for American species. Occasionally, the non-woody species such as

360-458: The smooth herbaceous greenbrier ( S. herbacea ) are separated as genus Nemexia ; they are commonly known by the rather ambiguous name carrion flowers . Greenbriers get their scientific name from the Greek myth of Crocus and the nymph Smilax . Though this myth has numerous forms, it always centers around the unfulfilled and tragic love of a mortal man who is turned into a flower , and

384-532: The fact that birds and other small animals spread the seeds over large areas, makes the plants very hard to get rid of. It grows best in moist woodlands with a soil pH between 5 and 6. The seeds have the greatest chance of germinating after being exposed to a freeze. Besides their berries providing an important food for birds and other animals during the winter, greenbrier plants also provide shelter for many other animals. The thorny thickets can effectively protect small animals from larger predators who cannot enter

408-705: The lowest 200 to 500 feet (61 to 152 m) of the side of the mountain. Central Mountain's official coordinates are in the United States Geological Survey quadrangle of Red Rock. The mountain is located partially in northeastern Sugarloaf Township and partially in Sullivan County and Luzerne County. A rock formation known as the Duncannon Member of the Catskill Formation occurs on Central Mountain. It

432-602: The mountain as a habitat. In addition to hemlock, the main tree species on the mountain include yellow birch , black birch , black gum , sugar maple , red maple , white oak , chestnut oak , red oak , white pine , sassafras , basswood , tulip poplar , pignut hickory , mockernut hickory , shagbark hickory , and ash . Numerous shrub species inhabit Central Mountain. These include mountain laurel , black huckleberry , highbush blueberry , low sweet blueberry , gooseberry , swamp dewberry witch-hazel , greenbriar , and striped maple . Many herbaceous plants also inhabit

456-636: The mountain include logging and all terrain vehicle trails. Central Mountain is listed on the Columbia County Natural Areas Inventory. It is one of the most important sites on the inventory, with a priority rank of 1 on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being the most important. The only other sites in Columbia County with a rank of 1 are South Branch Roaring Creek and the Susquehanna River . The entire northern part of Columbia County, including Central Mountain,

480-569: The mountain. These include various sedges and also ferns , such as Christmas fern , sweet fern , hay-scented fern , and interrupted fern . Other herbaceous plant species include black bulrush , false hellebore , jewelweed , partridgeberry , smartweeds , soft rush , false Solomon's seal , stinging nettle , swamp milkweed , Sphagnum moss, sweet vernal grass , teaberry , trailing arbutus , violets, whorled loosestrife , and woolgrass . Numerous bird species inhabit Central Mountain. These include four warbler species, three vireo species,

504-532: The peculiar and sometimes flightless genus Thyrocopa . But particularly fond of greenbriers are certain Nymphalidae caterpillars, for example those of: An extract from the roots of some species – most significantly Jamaican sarsaparilla ( S. ornata ) – is used to make the sarsaparilla drink and other root beers , as well as herbal drinks like the popular Baba Roots from Jamaica . Two species, S. domingensis and S. havanensis , are used in

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528-501: The prickly tangle. Deer and other herbivorous mammals will eat the foliage, as will some invertebrates such as Lepidoptera ( butterflies and moths ), which also often drink nectar from the flowers. Beetles too are known to consume leaves. Among the Lepidoptera utilizing Smilax are Hesperiidae like the water snow flat ( Tagiades litigiosa ), Pieridae like the small grass yellow ( Eurema smilax ), or moths like

552-747: The smooth herbaceous greenbrier ( S. herbacea ). Section Heterosmilax represents a previous separate genus that was found to be embedded within Smilax, and was reduced to a section within it. The genus has a pantropical distribution, extending into adjacent temperate zones to north and south. 29 species are recognized in Central America and the Caribbean, while there are 20 species in North America north of Mexico . In China , there are 80 species (39 of which are endemic ). The berry

576-488: The village of Central . Central Mountain became the most common name for the mountain by the 1890s, during the period where the lumber industry was prevalent in the area. A school district and geographical district named Central District existed in the 1800s in Sugarloaf Township. It was named after Central Mountain and the village of Central. In the 21st century, potential threats to the natural habitats on

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