Japanese Supple-jack is an Asian vine with small pale flowers and dark, oval fruit. It is native to East and South Asia; in the southeastern U.S., a different native vine called supplejack can look similar.

Appearance

Growth form
This woody vine scrambles over nearby trees and shrubs.
Leaves
Oval leaves have several clear, nearly parallel side veins.
Flowers
Many tiny greenish-white flowers gather in branching clusters.
Fruit
Its oval fruits darken as they ripen.

Look-alikes

supplejackBerchemia scandens

The U.S. native supplejack has smaller flower clusters and typically more pairs of leaf veins. A close view of the leaves and flower clusters helps separate them.

Why they get mixed upBoth are woody vines with pale flowers, dark fruit, and overlapping English names.

Where it lives

Typical habitats
  • Woodland edges
  • Forests
Range
Its native range stretches from the Himalayas across parts of China to Korea and Japan. It is not native to the United States.

Name and classification

About the name
Berchemia racemosa is an older name for this species.

Conservation

IUCN Red List
LCLeast ConcernLow risk of extinction
Japanese Supple-jack (Berchemia floribunda) — identification, habitat & look-alikes | Moeyo