Asiatic Bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus)
An alien invasive woody plant, Asiatic bittersweet kills or weakens native trees and shrubs and is displacing native American bittersweet.
Asiatic bittersweet grows as a climbing vine or as a shrub. It kills native plants by growing over them, blocking sunlight, and choking stems and trunks.
The glossy, bright green leaves are elliptical, 2 to 5 inches long, and finely toothed. Leaves turn bright yellow in the fall.
Berries persist throughout the winter. Seeds are spread widely by birds and people using the branches for decorative arrangements.
Asiatic bittersweet produces lots of fruit in many clusters along the stems. Fruit are round and green when young. Stems have blunt thorns.
Mature fruits split to reveal three red berries, each containing two or three seeds.
American bittersweet produces fruit in fewer, larger clusters only at the branch tips. American bittersweet has no thorns. .
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Identification and Control Information
- Asiatic Bittersweet Facts, Ecological Impact, Control Methods - Maine Natural Areas Program
- Maine Invasive Plants: Asiatic Bittersweet (PDF) —The University of Maine Cooperative Extension
- Fact Sheet: Asiatic Bittersweet (PDF) —United States Department of Agriculture
- Fact Sheet with Description and Management Options (PDF) —Plant Conservation Alliance's Alien Plant Working Group
- Species Identification Card: Asiatic Bittersweet, Asian Bittersweet (PDF) —Gulf of Maine Research Institute, Vital Signs Program
- Gardening to Conserve Maine's Native Landscape: Plants to Use and Plants to Avoid (PDF)
- Videos about Native Plants in Maine —The University of Maine Cooperative Extension
- Invasive Alien Plant Species of Virginia: What are Invasive Alien Plant Species and why are they a problem?—Virginia Department of Conservation & Recreation
- Alien Plant Invaders of Natural Areas Brochure (PDF) —Plant Conservation Alliance
- What the Heck is an Invasive Plant? Brochure (PDF) —Plant Conservation Alliance
[Photos, left to right: Nancy Loewenstein, Auburn University, Bugwood.org; James H. Miller, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org; Chris Evans, River to River CWMA, Bugwood.org; James H. Miller, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org; James R. Allison, Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Bugwood.org; Chris Evans, River to River CWMA, Bugwood.org]