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Celastrus orbiculatus
Also called Staff Vine, Asian Bittersweet, Japanese Bittersweet, Asiatic Bittersweet, Staffvine, Oriental Staff Vine, Climbing Spindleberry
Oriental bittersweet is a fast-growing, deciduous woody climbing vine from East Asia that twists around trees and other supports, and is grown as an ornamental. It is invasive in eastern North America, so grow it only where it is permitted and in contained spaces.
Celastrus orbiculatus is a woody vine of the family Celastraceae. It is commonly called Oriental bittersweet, as well as Chinese bittersweet, Asian bittersweet, round-leaved bittersweet, and Asiatic bittersweet.
It is native to China, where it is the most widely distributed Celastrus species, and to Japan and Korea. It was introduced into North America in 1879, and is considered to be an invasive species in eastern North America. It closely resembles the native North American species, Celastrus scandens, with which it will readily hybridize.
Celastrus orbiculatus is cultivated as an ornamental plant. In the UK, it has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.
Due to systematic disturbances to eastern forests for wood production and recreation, Oriental bittersweet has naturalized to landscapes, roadsides, and woodlands of eastern North America. In the United States, it can be found as far south as Louisiana, as far north as Maine, and as far west as the Rocky Mountains. It prefers mesic woods, where it has been known to eclipse native plants.
Despite the modest toxicity of its fruit, some livestock browse on the leaves without effect. Its vines, which are durable and tough, are a good source of weaving material for baskets. The fibrous inner bark can be used to make strong cordage.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Celastrus orbiculatus by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
