seen from China
seen from Bangladesh
seen from Germany
seen from China
seen from Australia
seen from Malaysia
seen from United Kingdom
seen from United Kingdom
seen from Sweden
seen from Bulgaria
seen from United States
seen from Singapore
seen from Germany
seen from United States
seen from United Kingdom
seen from Bulgaria
seen from Maldives
seen from Germany
seen from Germany
seen from India
John Hickey of Whanganui had a workplace accident that resulted in him losing the lower half of his left leg. What to do? John being a keen sheddie, discovered a new career making unique furniture out of Supplejack vines and Manuka timber with tremendous results
Short video on the Kareao or Supplejack vine.
New Zealand Native Plant - Kareao (Supplejack) or what I like to call bush asparagus. VERY IMPORTANT: The most poisonous tree in New Zealand is called Tutu (Coriaria arborea). The very young sprouts or shoots of this the Tutu tree look like asparagus when growing out the ground. Here is a video link: • Healing with Tutu: Rongoā Māori The YOUTUBE video is called "Healing with Tutu: Rongoā Māori" you can see the young Tutu sprout or shoot that looks like asparagus pointing up from the ground between the 20 second and 40 second mark. Kareao (Supplejack) has asparagus sprouts/shoots at the end of the vines. DO NOT get Tutu confused with Kareao (Supplejack) sprouts/shoots. "Basically" if the asparagus sprout/shoot is on the end of a very long black/brown curly vine, you can safely eat it. If however the asparagus sprout/shoot is NOT on the end of a very long black/brown vine, or is sticking up out of the ground. DO NOT TOUCH IT or EAT IT! The poison in all parts of the Tutu tree, with the exception of the juice in the berries can kill you very easily if ingested!
#2579 - Ripogonum scandens - Supplejack
AKA kareao, and pirita ("twisted rope").
A common rainforest vine endemic to New Zealand, widespread in North island forests, and very common along the west coast of the South Island. It starts off as a small shrub, but once it gets going it can climb surrounding trees at 5cm a day. Lianas over 100m long are not uncommon, and frequently grows into impenetrable tangles, putting down fresh roots where it brushes the ground again.
The fruit is cherry-like. The vines were used to make eel-traps, as binding and tow-ropes, and young shoots collected as a vegetable. Schools used to use them as canes when they thought it was fun to physically assault children.
Fossils from the Miocene seem to be indistinguishable from the extant species.
Not considered threatened, although plants can be damaged by introduced pigs, goats, and other mammals.
Greymouth, Aotearoa New Zealand
