I usually start the id process with a state search on the USDA site. They report 13 species of Smilax for Florida. The two with ears are S. auriculata (Earleaf Greenbrier), and S. bona-nox (Saw Greenbrier). Your unwanted species is likely S. auriculata, because the other has prominent thorns along the margins of the leaves. There are a half dozen of your species with relatively broad leaves, but only one that I found with reddish veins and no thorns. See if the photos and description on the Alabama Wildflower site for Smilax pumila (Sarsparilla Vine) fit. If you want to look at the other species, the list that USDA suggests as a starting point for your area is; S. auriculata S. biltmoreana S. bona-nox S. coriacea S. glauca S. hugeri S. lasioneura S. laurifolia S. pumila S. rotundifolia S. smallii S. tamnoides S. walteri Here is a link that might be useful: Smilax pumila

Thanks, gardenguru. I looked up the name, and found detailed photos on this website: http://www.alabamaplants.com/Whiteopp/Eriogonum_tomentosum_page.html I changed the webpage URL and credited you. Here is a link that might be useful: new Dogtongue page

i'm only an ok pepper grower--this year's better than most. here's my accumulated wisdom: 1) pick the right variety. for sweets, i've had great luck with fat n sassy, flexum and sweet spot (all from tomato growers supply). hot ones--tabasco, habanero, anaheims. 2) plant them as early as possible. when you plant your tomatoes--i.e., probably the beginning of march in n fla., maybe earlier. you might have to protect them from frost. for fall planting, they should probably go in now (mine have). 3) plant them CLOSE together for support and to protect from sun scald. stake them or grow them in cages. (i don't have room for cages, so instead i use multiple bamboo stakes--as many as 4 per plant.) 4) hot peppers do very well in pots. use a loose, well-drained mix that includes pine fines, perlite and peat. i use equal quantities if i can get fines in bags; otherwise i use a mix from my local landscaping co that is 1/4 hardwood fines, 1/4 pine fines and the rest peat. on this forum, search for "post hole method" or posthole method. it's how i plant them in the ground--essentially, dig out a cylinder of "dirt" and replace it with dirt. i haven't sprayed mine. they're under attack from stinkbugs (leaf-footed) and flea beetles, but they're healthy enough. i fertile monthly with a small amount of balanced fertilizer, and every once and a while a handful of epsom. i just got a BIG bag of peppers from happy_fl_gardener. my own plants have tons of fruit on them, and will produce another crop in the fall, as soon as the light changes enough and it cools down (sometime in september). it CAN be done. but it takes some practice and luck.

Time to bump my old thread. I got a quote from another window guy for the following. Simonton ProFinish Brickmold 600 White Double Hung: Energy Star Southern; Intercept; ProSolar Shade Low E; Argon Gas; Double Glazed; Double Strength (1/8"); Full Screen Fiberglass; DP:35; U-Factor:.30. - $11,250.00 What do you knowledgeable window guys think about this line of Simonton windows? How do they compare to the window quotes above? The ratings look pretty good to me but I am pretty uneducated when it comes to windows.