A Pretty Pest: Oriental Bittersweet

 Adding brightness to the winter landscape, but at what cost?

Well, instead of a long, slow, spiral into the deep dark of winter, this year we have been treated to an autumn missed if you blinked. Hello snow! Hello single digits! We'll be flirting with 50s again soon.

Oriental bittersweet just hanging out in my local forest preserve.

One of the plants that dances onto center stage in the fall is bittersweet. It was a favorite of pioneer ladies looking for something bright to twine up the porch posts in the fall. From there it escaped and has joyfully scrambled through our natural areas and had its seeds dispersed by hungry birds. I'm looking at you, oriental bittersweet (Celastrusorbiculatus). It unfortunately tends to beat out our native American bittersweet (Celastrus scandens) which is also very attractive, if not as aggressive.

The big difference? Oriental bittersweet holds its berries along the stems and has red berries surrounded by bright yellow capsules. American bittersweet holds its berries in clusters at the tips of the twigs and the red berries have orange capsules.

Celastrus scandens on the left and Celastrus orbiculatus on the right. 

Image courtesy of Bonnie K., Qwert1234 and the University of Illinois Extension.

I can see the charm. Who wouldn't love bright orange berries on a tough, vigorous vine? Until you try and fight through a thicket of it in the middle of the woods on a hike. Ugh. If you're still thinking about decorating for fall, you can find fake sprays and wreaths readily available. They are just as lovely, but eliminate the chance of spreading this invasive thug into your landscape.