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Ripogonum scandens

Common name:	Supple Jack	Family:	Smilacaceae
Author:	J.R.Forst.& G.Forst.	Botanical references:	44, 200
Synonyms:
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	New Zealand.
Habitat:	Lowland podocarp and broad-leaved forests on North, South, Stewart and Chatham Islands[44].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	3	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	1

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	Rhipogonum scandens[E]
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	scandens = climbing
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Liliales. Catbrier family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	New Zealand

Physical Characteristics

An evergreen climber growing to 10m. It is hardy to zone 10. It is in leaf all year. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs). We rate it 3/5 for edibility and 1/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland). It requires moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Woodland, Sunny Edge, By Walls, By South Wall, By West Wall.

Edible Uses

Fruit Leaves Root Sap.

Root - cooked. It is rich in starch[105]. The root is very fibrous and is used as a flavouring for beer[173].
Fruit - raw or cooked. Dry and uninteresting[153, 173]. The fruit is about 8mm in diameter[200].
Young shoots - cooked. They taste like fresh green beans[173].
Sap. It is obtained by blowing it out of short cut sections of the stem[173].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Antirheumatic Skin Stomachic Vulnerary.

Antirheumatic, skin, stomachic, vulnerary[61]. The burnt stems and sap are used to cauterize wounds[61].

Other Uses

Basketry String.

The stems are used in basket making and also to make rope ladders[44, 46, 61, 128]. The stems are strong enough to be used as they are to make a rope[128].

Cultivation details

We have very little information on this species and do not know if it will be hardy in Britain, though judging by its native range it is unlikely to succeed outdoors in Britain in any but the mildest areas of the country.
Plants do not take kindly to cultivation, but a rich soil and shade are probably the best conditions for it[1].

Propagation

Seed - we have no information for this species but suggest sowing the seed as soon as it is ripe in a warm greenhouse. Sow stored seed in a warm greenhouse in the spring. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on for at least their first winter in the greenhouse. Plant out in early summer.
Division.

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Rhipogonum scandens (a possible synonym).

[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[44] Allan. H. H. Flora of New Zealand. Government Printer, Wellington. 1961
The standard work, in 3 volumes though only the first two are of interest to the plant project. Very good on habitats.

[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.

[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.

[105] Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976
The most comprehensive guide to edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.

[128] Laing. and Blackwell. Plants of New Zealand. Whitcombe and Tombs Ltd 1907
An old flora of New Zealand in a readable style. Some details of plant uses.

[153] Brooker. S. G., Cambie. R. C. and Cooper. R. C. Economic Native Plants of New Zealand. Oxford University Press 1991 ISBN 0-19-558229-2
An interesting and readable book on the useful plants of New Zealand.

[173] Crowe. A. Native Edible Plants of New Zealand. Hodder and Stoughton 1990 ISBN 0-340-508302
A very well written and illustrated book based on the authors own experiments with living on a native diet.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

Readers Comments

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
Blagdon Cross, Ashwater, Beaworthy, Devon, EX21 5DF, UK.
Website: www.pfaf.org Phone: 0845 458 4719/_44(0) 1208 872963

This page (UK) http://www.comp.leeds.ac.uk/cgi-bin/pfaf/arr_html?Ripogonum+scandens
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