Ripogonum scandens aka Supplejack

Ripogonum scandens is a vine from New Zealand. It is evergreen, keeping its leaves all year. People call it supplejack and New Zealand sarsaparilla. Kew puts it in the family Ripogonaceae. It grows in lowland forests among podocarps and broad-leaved trees. Its range spans North, South, Stewart and Chatham Islands. Kew calls its climate subtropical. It is not native to Britain or Ireland.

This vine can reach about 33 feet [10 metres]. It suits woods where it has room to climb. Its stems support its growth and have other uses. People make baskets, ropes and rope ladders from them. Whole stems are strong enough to serve as rope. Each flower has both male and female organs. The fruit is about 0.03 feet [0.008 metres] across.

Plants For A Future advises moist soil and light woodland shade. It lists sand, loam and clay as suitable soils. The soil can be mildly acid, neutral or mildly alkaline. Rich soil and shade may suit it best. But the source says it is hard to establish in gardens. It lists USDA zones 9–11. Yet it doubts the vine will thrive outdoors in Britain. Only the mildest British sites may give it a chance. It suggests sites at the edge of woods. It also suggests spots by south- or west-facing walls.

Records list food uses for several parts of the vine. Their appeal as food varies. The roots have starch, and people can cook them. They also have tough fibres and have served to flavour beer. People eat the fruit raw or cooked. The source calls it dry and not very appealing. People compare the taste of cooked young shoots to green beans. The list of edible parts also names leaves and sap. People can get sap from short lengths of cut stem. Plants For A Future reports no known hazards. This does not prove safety for each person or pet.

Folk records list uses for rheumatic, skin and stomach complaints. Past wound care used burnt stems and sap for cauterisation, or burning tissue. These records do not prove that these treatments work. Nor do they prove that the treatments are safe. Plants For A Future gives advice on growing new plants. It makes clear that this advice is uncertain. It suggests sowing fresh seed in a warm greenhouse. It also lists division, which means splitting a plant. The same source does not flag this vine as weedy.