Berchemia scandens

Berchemia scandens, commonly called Alabama supplejack,[2] is a species of climbing plant in the buckthorn family. It is native to the central and southern parts of the United States.[3] It is found in a wide variety of habitats, including swamps, bottomlands, riparian banks, and upland calcareous areas.[4]

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.[4] The strong stems of the plant are often used for wickerwork.[5] It produces flowers in the spring

Traditional medicinal uses

The 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

1. "Berchemia scandens (Hill) K.Koch". www.theplantlist.org. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanical Garden. Retrieved 4 December 2016.
2. "Berchemia scandens". Natural Resources Conservation Service PLANTS Database. USDA. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
3. "Berchemia scandens". County-level distribution map from the North American Plant Atlas (NAPA). Biota of North America Program (BONAP). 2014. Retrieved 9 January 2017.
4. Alan Weakley (2015). "Flora of the Southern and Mid-Atlantic States".
5. "Berchemia scandens". www.missouribotanicalgarden.org. Missouri Botanical Garden. Retrieved 4 December 2016.
6. Moerman, Daniel (2009). Native American Medicinal Plants: An Ethnobotanical Dictionary. Timber Press.