Celastrus scandens (American Bittersweet Vine)


Botanical Information

FamilyCelastraceae
GenusCelastrus
Speciesscandens
CategoryWoody
TypeVine
Pronunciation

Details

USDA Hardiness Zone3-8
USDA Hardiness Ref.
Canada Hardiness Ref.
RHS Hardiness Ref.
Height6 m (vine)
Spread3 m (vine)
GrowthFast
Flowering PeriodJune

Description and Growing Information

General DescriptionA fast growing, 6 m, vigorous, deciduous twining vine which engulfs every fence in sight.
ID CharacteristicA fast growing climbing vine with lustrous dark green leaves and yellow orange fruit that is often used for dried flower arrangements.
ShapeClimbing vine
LandscapeMay scramble over rock piles, fences and old trees. The fruit is often used in arrangements.
PropagationSeeds have a dormant embryo and require after-ripening for germination; there is some evidence that the seed coat may have an inhibiting effect upon germination. Seeds or dried fruits should be stratified in moist sand for 2-6 months at 5°C. Root cuttings collected in the autumn and cut into 50 mm lengths and insert vertically into pots or flats barley covering the top. Water and place in a cold frame until growth appears and then pot individually.
PestsDiseases include; leaf spots, powdery mildews, crown gall, stem canker, Euonumus scale, aphids and two-marked treehopper.
Notable SpecimensJoany’s Woods, West Williams, Middlesex County, Ontario, Canada.
HabitatCanada to South Dakota and New Mexico.
Flower/Leaf Bud DescriptionBuds are brown, small, sessile, solitary, sub-globose and with about 6 hard mucronate scales.
Leaf DescriptionLeaves are lustrous dark green, glabrous, serrulate and have a broad cuneate at its base. Leaves are 4-8 cm in length.
Flower DescriptionFlowers are Polygamo-dioecious but primarily dioecious. They are a yellowish white colour and borne 4-8 cm long.
Fruit DescriptionFruit is a three-lobed capsule with a yellow orange colour and crimson seeds on the inside. It is extensively collected and sold for dried flower arrangements.
Colour DescriptionLeaves are a deep glossy green in the summer and a greenish yellow in autumn.
Texture DescriptionMedium in leaf and medium coarse texture in the winter.

Photographs