NC Native Plant Society:
Plant Details

Berchemia scandens

Supplejack, American Rattan, Alabama Supplejack, Carolina Supplejack

Scientific Name:	Berchemia scandens
Genus:	Berchemia
Species Epithet:	scandens
Common Name:	Supplejack, American Rattan, Alabama Supplejack, Carolina Supplejack
Plant Type	Woody Vine
Life Cycle	Perennial
Plant Family	Rhamnaceae (Buckthorn Family)
Native/Alien:	NC Native
Invasive Status:	^(*Key)
Size:	12-36 ft.
Bloom Color(s):	Green
Light:	Sun - 6 or more hours of sun per day, Part Shade - 2 to 6 hours of sun per day
Soil Moisture:	Moist, Wet
Bloom Time:	April, May
Growing Area:	Piedmont, Coastal Plain
Habitat Description:	Swamp forests, bottomlands, streambanks, also upland in mesic to even xeric uplands over calcareous rock or sediment. Rare in NC piedmont, common in the coastal plain.
Leaf Arrangement:	Alternate
Leaf Retention:	Deciduous
Leaf Type:	Nothing Specified
Leaf Form:	Simple
Life Cycle:	Perennial
Wildlife Value:	Has some wildlife value
Landscape Value:	Suitable for home landscapes
State Rank:	S5: Secure ^(*Key)
Global Rank:	G5 - Secure ^(*Key)
State Status:	W6: Watch List: Regionally Rare ^(*Key)
Notes:	The flowers are inconspicuous. The small fruits are blue-black and toxic to people and pets, but the bark and foliage are distinctive.
Distinctive pinnate veins on a green-stemmed woody vine in wetlands. Columbus County, NC Larry Mellichamp
Distinctive leaf veins. Garden in Mecklenburg County, NC Larry Mellichamp
Green stemmed high-climbing vine. Duke Gardens, Durham County, NC Larry Mellichamp
Links:	USDA PLANTS Database Record Vascular Plants of NC: https://auth1.dpr.ncparks.gov/flora/species_account.php NC Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox: https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/berchemia-scandens/ https://nc.audubon.org/700