Berchemia scandens, commonly called supplejack, Alabama supplejack, Carolina supplejack, and American rattan,[2][3] is a woody vine in the buckthorn family native to the southeastern United States.[4] It is found in a wide variety of habitats, including swamps, bottomlands, streambanks, moist to dry upland forests, woodlands, glades, and prairies over calcareous rock or sediment.[2]
| Berchemia scandens | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Rosales |
| Family: | Rhamnaceae |
| Genus: | Berchemia |
| Species: | B. scandens
|
| Binomial name | |
| Berchemia scandens (Hill) K. Koch[1]
| |
It is a woody vine, with older stems reaching 18 cm in diameter.[2] The strong stems of the plant are often used for wickerwork.[5]
Traditional medicinal uses
editThe Houma people used a decoction of the aerial parts of the vine for impotency. Other Native Americans used the plant as a blood purifier and the ashes of the vine to treat coughs.[6]
References
edit
- ^ "Berchemia scandens (Hill) K.Koch". www.theplantlist.org. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanical Garden. Retrieved 4 December 2016.
- ^ a b c "Berchemia scandens (Supplejack) - Flora of the Southeastern United States". Flora of the Southeastern United States. 2024-08-08. Archived from the original on 2024-08-08. Retrieved 2024-08-08.
- ^ "USDA Plants Database - Berchemia scandens". USDA Plants Database. 2024-08-08. Archived from the original on 2024-08-08. Retrieved 2024-08-08.
- ^ "Berchemia scandens". County-level distribution map from the North American Plant Atlas (NAPA). Biota of North America Program (BONAP). 2014. Retrieved 9 January 2017.
- ^ "Berchemia scandens". www.missouribotanicalgarden.org. Missouri Botanical Garden. Retrieved 4 December 2016.
- ^ Moerman, Daniel (2009). Native American Medicinal Plants: An Ethnobotanical Dictionary. Timber Press.
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