''Berchemia scandens'', commonly called Alabama supplejack, is a species of climbing plant in the

buckthorn family The Rhamnaceae are a large family of flowering plants, mostly trees, shrubs, and some vines, commonly called the buckthorn family. Rhamnaceae is included in the order Rosales. The family contains about 55 genera and 950 species. The Rhamnaceae h ...

. It is native to the central and southern parts of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. It is found in a wide variety of habitats, including swamps, bottomlands, riparian banks, and upland calcareous areas. It is a woody vine, with older stems reaching 18 cm in diameter. The strong stems of the plant are often used for

wickerwork Wicker is the oldest furniture making method known to history, dating as far back as 5,000 years ago. It was first documented in ancient Egypt using pliable plant material, but in modern times it is made from any pliable, easily woven material. ...

. 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.

References

scandens Flora of the Southeastern United States Flora of the Southern United States Flora without expected TNC conservation status {{Rhamnaceae-stub