|
The Alabama supplejack (Berchemia scandens) belongs to Rhamnaceae (the Buckthorn family). It is a deciduous woody vine that is distributed from the east-central to southeastern part of the United States and from Mexico to Guatemala. It grows in highland forests, canyons, swamps, and riverbanks, entangled with other plants and other vegetation, and can grow more than 6 m long. The stems have smooth gray-green bark. The leaves are ovate to elliptic with characteristic parallel lateral veins. In spring, small greenish-white flowers bloom in panicles in leaf axils. The fruit is a round drupe that ripens to blue in the fall. The English name "supplejack" is derived from the strong, flexible walking stick made from this plant.
|