is a
perennial, trailing
vine with prickly stems that is native to
Mexico and
Central America. Common names include
sarsaparilla ( or ),
Honduran sarsaparilla, and
Jamaican sarsaparilla. It is known in
Spanish as , which is derived from the words
zarza meaning "bramble" (from Basque sartzia "bramble"), and
parrilla, meaning "little grape vine".