Native Plants

Plant Database

Search for native plants by scientific name, common name or family. If you are not sure what you are looking for, try the Combination Search or our Recommended Species lists.

Enter a Plant Name:
Or you can choose a plant family:

Marcus, Joseph A.

Berchemia scandens

Berchemia scandens (Hill) K. Koch

Alabama Supplejack, Alabama Supple-jack, Rattan-vine

Rhamnaceae (Buckthorn Family)

Synonym(s):

USDA Symbol: besc

USDA Native Status: L48 (N)

A climbing vine with distinctive smooth, green bark on stems as much as 1 inch in diameter. Climbing into trees in wooded ravines and narrow canyons. Leaves from 1 to 2 1/2 inches long, with prominent veins branching from the midrib, ovate to elliptical with smooth or slightly wavy margins and a rounded or pointed tip. Flowers small, less than 1/8 inch wide, in elongate, open clusters on short lateral branchlets, appearing in April and May. Fruit small fleshy, blue black, longer than wide and slightly flattened.

The Rattan Vine is a member of the buckthorn family (family Rhamnaceae) which includes shrubs, trees, and vines, usually with small flowers in clusters.

From the Image Gallery

16 photo(s) available in the Image Gallery

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Perennial
Habit: Vine
Leaf Retention: Deciduous
Leaf Arrangement: Alternate
Leaf Complexity: Simple
Leaf Shape: Elliptic
Leaf Venation: Pinnate
Leaf Margin: Entire , Serrate
Fruit Type: Drupe
Size Notes: Stems up to about 60 feet long.
Fruit: Blue, 1/4 inch across.

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: Green
Bloom Time: Mar , Apr , May , Jun

Distribution

USA: AL , AR , FL , GA , IL , KY , LA , MD , MO , MS , NC , OK , SC , TN , TX , VA
Native Habitat: Forest or natural area in open woods, along stream banks.

Growing Conditions

Light Requirement: Part Shade , Shade
Soil Moisture: Moist
Soil pH: Acidic (pH<6.8)

Benefit

Use Wildlife: Fruits eaten by wild turkey, northern bobwhite, raccoon and gray squirrel.
Interesting Foliage: yes

National Wetland Indicator Status

Region:	AGCP	AK	AW	CB	EMP	GP	HI	MW	NCNE	WMVE
Status:	FAC				FACW	FAC		FAC

This information is derived from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers National Wetland Plant List, Version 3.1 (Lichvar, R.W. 2013. The National Wetland Plant List: 2013 wetland ratings. Phytoneuron 2013-49: 1-241). Click here for map of regions.

From the National Organizations Directory

According to the species list provided by Affiliate Organizations, this plant is on display at the following locations:

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - Austin, TX
Pineywoods Native Plant Center - Nacogdoches, TX
Brackenridge Field Laboratory - Austin, TX
Stengl Biological Research Station - Smithville, TX

Wildflower Center Seed Bank

LBJWC-MM-798 Collected 2006-12-17 in Harrison County by Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

1 collection(s) available in the Wildflower Center Seed Bank

Bibliography

Bibref 841 - Native Alternatives to Invasive Plants (2006) Burrell, C. C.

Search More Titles in Bibliography

Web Reference

Webref 57 - Atlas of Florida Plants (2020) Institute for Systematic Botany
Webref 38 - Flora of North America (2019) Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
Webref 23 - Southwest Environmental Information Network (2009) SEINet - Arizona Chapter

Additional resources

USDA: Find Berchemia scandens in USDA Plants
FNA: Find Berchemia scandens in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Berchemia scandens

Metadata

Record Modified: 2023-05-04
Research By: TWC Staff

Go back