Rattan Vine or Supplejack (Berchemia scandens) of the Buckthorn (Rhamnaceae) family is a large-stemmed, high climbing, twining, woody vine with simple leaves that have parallel veins. Genus name recognizes Jacob Pierre Berthoud van Berchem, an 18th Century Dutch naturalist and mineralogist. Specific epithet is from a Latin word meaning “to climb” in reference to the plant’s growth habit. Common names relate to the plant being used for wicker ware* and main stems being used as walking sticks. Area-of-occurrence in the US is from eastern Texas, across southeastern Oklahoma and southern Missouri; thence, extending to the Atlantic Coast and southward throughout Florida and back to Texas. In Arkansas, Rattan Vine is found statewide and also occurs in Mexico (Chiapas) and Guatemala. It is found in many soil types with a wide variety of sunny to shady habitats. Habitats range from wetland/swamp areas to wooded bottomlands and to drier upland woodlands and glades; along with roadsides, fence lines and plantations. Rattan Vine has shallow, near-surface, branching, black ropy roots and short descending fibrous roots. Depending on habitat, the ropy roots may sprout clonal plantlets. lt is also known as American Rattan and Alabama Supplejack.

Lacking tendrils and aerial rootlets, the strongly ascending vines (vine-type = liana) are self-supporting only if a plant’s vines twine together. Largest plants are found in wetter habitats. The tardily deciduous plants have a few to multiple main vines. New vine segments (growing in one year) develop on the sunny side of parent vines. Vines, always seeking sunlight, may be sprawled near the ground (in the absence of support) or in a tangled mass into trees to 90+ feet. Annual growth of a single vine may exceed 25 feet. Girth of vine segments uniformly decreases from the base of a segment to the apex. When the fast-growing apex touches a support, the vine quickly aligns with that support in a twining or spiraling manner. When the apical-growth reaches open space, the vine ascends until it finds a higher support or arches downward (due to gravity) and the vine may twist-back onto itself and again becomes ascending. Vines quickly become “fixed” in place in their current growth-year. Vines are extremely strong to the point that a host tree or limb may be girdled.

New vine-segments develop from lateral axillary buds (axillary vine) or develop as a division of a parent vine in the same growth year (connate vine). After a leaf falls; a spiky, hardened, elevated leaf scar remains immediately below a low-profile axillary bud covered with a few imbricated scales (see Photo 18). In spring, with growth of a new axillary vine-segment, the petiolate scar enlarges and has a circular, collar-like appearance. New connate vine segments lack collars and either the parent vine or the new-segment dominants growth. Tiny dormant buds may occur on collars and at the base of connate vines. Additionally, new vine segments have terminal buds that may further lengthen the previous year’s growth. Vines at and near ground level may have a radius of 2+ inches.

Young portions of vines and branches are green or, in sunlight, reddish. Older vines become bluish-gray with numerous white, longitudinal streaks. The terete (round in cross-section) blue-gray vines are glabrous (lacking pubescence) and smooth except for petiolate scars below buds that did not develop. With plant maturity, lower portions of vines become branch-free and the thin bark remains fissure free. Oldest vines become drab-green to black and whitish streaks becoming less pronounced to absent. Young vines have white pith at their centers while older vines are solid.

Mature plants have numerous, tree-like, axillary branches (to 2 feet long) with a free-standing growth habit. Branches lack the ability to twin or spiral. In their first year, branches have a single, straight, leafy axis but lengthen and broaden as leafy axillary sub-branches and twigs follow. Twigs bear flowers/fruits.

The simple, glabrous, ovate to wide-elliptic, alternate leaves are to 4⅜ inches long (including a ⅞-inch petiole) and 2 inches wide. They have a shiny, bright green upper surface and a pale green lower surface. Straight, parallel, regularly spaced, pinnate, secondary veins are set at 30⁰ off the midrib. Slightly recessed above and well-expressed below, the 8-13 pairs of secondary veins merge along the slightly undulating leaf margin. Closely spaced tertiary veins, set perpendicular to secondary veins, are also parallel. Leaf apex is obtuse to acuminate while base is rounded to wedge-shaped (cuneate). Blades are somewhat leathery. Petioles may be down-twisted so that leaves probably help support growing vines. The tardily deciduous leaves become yellow in fall while petioles and veins may become reddish. With intertwined vines and many branches, whether sprawled near the ground or within limbs of a tree, a plant’s “center of growth” tends to be dense and leafy.

The inflorescence (April-May) consists of terminal and axillary panicles (thyrses**) elevated above foliage. The glabrous and leafless floral stalks within the panicles, along with peduncles (stalks bearing multiple flowers) and pedicels (stalks bearing a single flower), are shiny pale green. Peduncles have a few to a dozen pedicels that bear several to a half-dozen flowers. In bud, the broadly triangular sepals form a pentagonal-pyramid shape; each of the sides indented along the sepals’ center lines. Buds, with relatively long pedicels and minute hypanthia, are knobby. The greenish-white flowers (<⅛ inch across) and lacking noticeable insect guides, have 5 pale-green sepals and 5 pale-green lanceolate petals with white tips – petals evenly spaced between sepals. At anthesis, sepals and petals remain together; the corolla in an upright position. The dioecious plants have separate staminate (with filaments and anthers) and pistillate (with ovary, style and stigma) flowers in the same panicle. Staminate flowers have 5 stamens while pistillate flowers have a pistil centered in a low, darker green nectar disc. At anthesis, anthers rise slightly above the sepals/petals while stigmas remain slightly below the sepals/petals.

In July-November, fertilized pistillate flowers develop into fruits (drupes) in short to long, loose clusters that persist into the winter months. Clusters may be terminal, axillary or a combination of terminal and axillary panicles. The thin-skinned, blue-black, oblong to ellipsoid drupes contain a single indehiscent stone. With a glaucous (white waxy coating) at maturity, drupes are about ¼ inch long and ⅛ inch wide with a thickened base (remnants of hypanthium). Seeds are spread by birds and mammals. With fruit fall, the entire panicle drops off the twig.

Due to its large size, extensive root system and clonal nature; garden use of Rattan Vine should probably be restricted to large natural setting where its roots and possible clonal plantlets would not become an issue. Planted at the base of a tree with good sun, clonal plantlets may not develop. Partial removal of a root system may encourage unwanted clonal plantlets. Mature vines are attractive as are leaves and fruits. Fruits are eaten by a number of ground- and song-birds, including turkey and quail. Small mammals, including racoon and squirrel, also eat the fruit. Mature plants provide dense shelter for birds and small mammals.

Rattan Vine can be easily distinguished from other vines in Arkansas based on its large smooth vines, along with simple leaves with parallel veins. It is the only species of the genus in the US.

• Rattan & Wicker: “Rattan” is a material from some palm species; e.g., Common Rattan (Calamus rotang). Wicker is weaving style. Wicker products may be made from various plant species, including Berchemia scandens and palm species.

** Thyrse: An inflorescence in which main axis has indeterminate growth and side-axes have determinate growth.