Berchemia scandens

A large stemmed, high climbing vine with smooth green-gray bark with white streaks. May be distinguished from other vines by its conspicuous raised, pinnate venation. No tendrils. Leaves: entire, alternate, no hairs, many evenly spaced, deeply set, secondary veins parallel. Fruit purple.

The fruit of rattan-vine is eaten by many species of birds (Holmes 1990). Cattle browse new growth in spring, but most of the foliage is beyond their reach.

The Acadian French name for Rattan-vine is "liana noire", or "black vine" (Holmes 1990). The common name rattan-vine leads many to confuse it with Calamas, the rattan-cane, used to make furniture. It grows in moist, sandy woods, swamp forests, and stream banks. In prairie it occurs on forest edges and in degraded areas unburned for several years, usually associated with early forest succession.

Moist sandy woods, swamp forests and stream banks.