Wildflower Spot – November 2008
AMERICAN BITTERSWEET
Celastrus scandens
American bittersweet is a twining woody vine that grows
vertically or sprawls horizontally over bushes and fences.
Blooming in spring, the small, green flowers produce yellow
fruit which in the fall develop into hanging clusters of
yellow-orange fruit which split open to show bright
red-orange seed coats. Plants are male or female, and both
sexes are needed for fruit set. Pollination is by insects,
especially bees, and also by wind. The vine grows in a wide
variety of habitats including fencerows, forest edges and
roadsides. Preferring rich, evenly moist soil in full sun
or light shade, the plant will tolerate abuse, including
heat, drought, and even salt.
Unfortunately the native American bittersweet is declining,
while the nonnative Oriental bittersweet (Celastrus
orbiculatus) is spreading and increasing in abundance.
While the nonnative Oriental bittersweet carries fruits in
small clusters along the stem, the fruits of the native
American bittersweet are twice as large, and grow in
profusion at the tips of the stems. The broad oval leaves
turn clear yellow in the fall, and then drop, allowing the
berries to show to best advantage. This vigorous and robust
vine grows 20 feet or more if not pruned.
All parts of the plant are potentially toxic, but the bark
extracts were a folk remedy for rheumatism, liver and skin
ailments. American Indians used the leaf tea for diarrhea
and dysentery.
American bittersweet grows on the Virginia peninsula and in
Virginia mountains, ranging south to Florida and Texas.
Written by Helen Hamilton, president
of the John Clayton Chapter of the Virginia Native Plant
Society
