Berchemia scandens

(Hill) K. Koch

Dendrologie 1: 602. 1869.

Common names: Alabama supplejack American rattan
Illustrated
Basionym: Rhamnus scandens Hill Hort. Kew., 453, plate 20. 1768
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 12. Treatment on page 60.

Vines, usually climbing-scandent, twining to some extent, extending into crowns of trees. Stems to 10 cm diam., bark smooth, glabrous. Leaves glabrate (petioles sometimes sparsely short-pubescent at base); blade ovate to elliptic-ovate or elliptic, 3–6(–8) cm, base truncate to rounded or obtuse, margins entire or shallowly undulate-crenate (teeth at vein endings), apex obtuse to short acuminate; secondary veins 8–12 pairs, strongly parallel. Inflorescences 7–20-flowered. Drupes mostly blue-black to purple-black or purple-red, cylindric to oblong-ellipsoid, 5–8 mm, often glaucous.


Phenology: Flowering Mar–May.
Habitat: Riparian areas, ravines, swamps, bottomlands, upland forests.
Elevation: 0–200 m.

Distribution

V12 638-distribution-map.jpg

Ala., Ark., Fla., Ga., Ill., Ky., La., Md., Miss., Mo., N.C., Okla., S.C., Tenn., Tex., Va., Mexico (Chiapas), Central America (Guatemala).

Discussion

According to R. K. Godfrey and J. W. Wooten (1981), the flowers of Berchemia scandens are functionally unisexual, the plants functionally dioecious. The staminodes remain enclosed by the petals in pistillate flowers.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.
... more about "Berchemia scandens"
Guy L. Nesom +
(Hill) K. Koch +
Rhamnus scandens +
Alabama supplejack +  and American rattan +
Ala. +, Ark. +, Fla. +, Ga. +, Ill. +, Ky. +, La. +, Md. +, Miss. +, Mo. +, N.C. +, Okla. +, S.C. +, Tenn. +, Tex. +, Va. +, Mexico (Chiapas) +  and Central America (Guatemala). +
0–200 m. +
Riparian areas, ravines, swamps, bottomlands, upland forests. +
Flowering Mar–May. +
Dendrologie +
Illustrated +
Berchemia scandens +
Berchemia +
species +