Celastrus orbiculatus

Oriental Bittersweet

Celastraceae

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Habitat

  • native to China and Japan
  • hardy to zone 4
  • Special Note: This species has demonstrated an invasive tendency in Connecticut, meaning it may escape from cultivation and naturalize in minimally managed areas. For more information, .

Habit and Form

  • a twining vine
  • deciduous
  • variable size, limited only by what is grows on
  • fast growing
  • medium texture

Summer Foliage

  • simple, deciduous leaves
  • alternate leaf arrangement
  • orbicular leaves
  • 2" to 5" long
  • serrated leaf margins
  • rich green leaf color

Autumn Foliage

  • yellow fall color
  • very showy

Flowers

  • not showy

Fruit

  • dehiscent capsules
  • yellow seed color
  • red aril around seeds
  • very showy
  • mature in September

Bark

  • tan stems
  • prominent lenticels

Culture

  • full sun
  • tolerant of most conditions
  • prefers a structure to grown on

Landscape Use

  • bank cover
  • for fruiting effect
  • for fall color

Liabilities

  • weedy
  • invasive
  • will go on or over anything

ID Features

  • small flowers held in racemes
  • yellow capsuled fruit with red aril
  • alternate leaf arrangement
  • orbicular leaf shape
  • serrated leaf margins
  • globose buds
  • brown bark with prominent lenticels
  • vigorous twinning vine, no hold fasts

Propagation

  • by seed

Cultivars/Varieties

Occasionally, nurseries will sell sexed plants of C. orbiculatus. 'Diana' is one such female, fruiting cultivar.

© Copyright Mark H. Brand, 1997-2015.

The digital materials (images and text) available from the UConn Plant Database are protected by copyright. Public use via the Internet for non-profit and educational purposes is permitted. Use of the materials for profit is prohibited.

Citation and Acknowledgements: University of Connecticut Plant Database, http://hort.uconn.edu/plants, Mark H. Brand, Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture, Storrs, CT 06269-4067 USA.