Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Rosids: Fabids: Celastrales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Celastrus orbiculatus
FAMILY
Celastraceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
You may also want to check Trees, Shrubs, and Woody Vines of North Carolina
Check out EDDMapS.org to see where this has been reported.
Read more about Celastrus at Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Celastrus orbiculatus
FAMILY
Celastraceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America
Celastrus orbiculatus
SYNONYMOUS WITH (ORTHOGRAPHIC VARIANT) Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Celastrus orbiculata
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 113-01-002:
Celastrus orbiculatus FAMILY Celastraceae
COMMON NAME:
Oriental Bittersweet
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
jkm240213_7391
February Greenville County SC
Buds 6-scaled, often projecting at right angles from the twig, bud scales keeled and spine-tipped, per Woody Plants of Kentucky and Tennessee (Jones & Wofford, 2013).
)
JK Marlow jkm160426_572
April Polk County NC
Pearson's Falls
)
JK Marlow jkm110513_483
May Greenville County SC
Camp Old Indian
)
JK Marlow jkm140524_185b
May Spartanburg County SC
The outer surface of roots characteristically bright orange, per Connecticut Invasive Plant Working Group.
)
Leslie J. Mehrhoff, University of Connecticut, Bugwood.org bug_5487274
May?
Flowers bloom in Spring in small clusters of 3-7 flowers in the leaf axils, per Invasive Plants, Guide to Identification, Impacts and Control (Kaufman & Kaufman, 2007).
)
Leslie J. Mehrhoff, University of Connecticut, Bugwood.org bug_5487384
June?
)
JK Marlow jkm090725__014
July Jackson County NC
Western Carolina University
Leaves variable shaped, long-tapering tipped when young...
)
JK Marlow jkm090725_003
July Jackson County NC
Western Carolina University
... [leaves] becoming larger and round-tipped when mature, per A Field Guide for the Identification of Invasive Plants in Southern Forests (Miller, Chambliss, & Lowenstein, 2010).
)
JK Marlow jkm090725_008
July Jackson County NC
Western Carolina University
Capsules contain 3 sections, each with 2 white seeds, per Nonnative Invasive Plants of Southern Forests (Miller, 2003).
)
JK Marlow jkm090725_009
July Jackson County NC
Western Carolina University
)
JK Marlow jkm090725_012
July Jackson County NC
Western Carolina University
)
JK Marlow jkm190726_0314
July Greenville County SC
A noxious weed in much of our area, per Weakley's Flora (2012).
)
JK Marlow jkm190726_0315
July Greenville County SC
)
JK Marlow jkm160827_662
August Henderson County NC
Bearwallow Mountain
)
JK Marlow jkm190801_0469
August Buncombe County NC
Blue Ridge Parkway
)
JK Marlow jkm190801_0470
August Buncombe County NC
Blue Ridge Parkway
)
JK Marlow jkm150906_0020
September Pickens County SC
Cherokee Foothills Visitors Center
)
JK Marlow jkm150906_0022
September Pickens County SC
Cherokee Foothills Visitors Center
)
James H. Miller, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org bug_2307122
October?
The tan lenticels look like little dashes on the brown twigs and branches, per Invasive Plants, Guide to Identification, Impacts and Control (Kaufman & Kaufman, 2007).
)
JK Marlow jkm081110_021
November Buncombe County NC
NC Arboretum
Capsule orangish, loculicidal, 3-valved, splitting and exposing seeds, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
)
JK Marlow jkm081110_023
November Buncombe County NC
NC Arboretum
Fruits appear all along the stem in clusters of 3-7, per Invasive Plants, Weeds of the Global Garden (Randall & Marinelli, 1996).
)
JK Marlow jkm091114_016b
November Henderson County NC
Blue Ridge Parkway
Lenticels conspicuous, per Woody Plants of the Southeastern US: A Winter Guide (Lance, 2004).
)
JK Marlow jkm091114_029
November Henderson County NC
Blue Ridge Parkway
)
JK Marlow jkm221108_0611
November Greenville County SC
First reported here in the 60s, now more common than the native C. scandens, per Weakley's Flora (2012).
)
Chris Evans, Illinois Wildlife Action Plan, Bugwood.org bug_5476785
December?
Vines can climb more than 60', twinging around trunks and branches, per Invasive Plants, Guide to Identification, Impacts and Control (Kaufman & Kaufman, 2007).
)
Chris Evans, Illinois Wildlife Action Plan, Bugwood.org bug_5427333
Month Unknown
)
Leslie J. Mehrhoff, University of Connecticut, Bugwood.org bug_5501246
Month Unknown
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Celastrus orbiculatus
FAMILY
Celastraceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Celastrus orbiculatus
FAMILY
Celastraceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America
Celastrus orbiculatus
SYNONYMOUS WITH (ORTHOGRAPHIC VARIANT)
Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Celastrus orbiculata
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 113-01-002:
Celastrus orbiculatus
FAMILY
Celastraceae
293
Climbing woody vine (twining)
Perennial
Polygamo-dioecious [mostly dioecious, but with some bisexual flowers]
Habitat: Bottomland and riparian forests, mesic upland forests and bluffs, glade margins, disturbed areas, thickets, roadsides, forests, per Weakley's Flora
Non-native: Asia
Common in Mountains & NC Piedmont, uncommon in GA & SC Piedmont, rare in GA & SC Coastal Plain
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
This plant is causing problems in natural areas outside its native range, according to authorities such as:
- Alabama Invasive Plant Council, 2012
- Brooklyn Botanic Garden
- Georgia Exotic Pest Plant Council, 2006
- Kentucky Exotic Pest Plant Council, 2013
- NC Botanical Garden
- NC Department of Transportation
- SC Exotic Pest Plant Council, 2014
- Tennessee Exotic Pest Plant Council, 2009
- US Fish & Wildlife Service
- US Forest Service Southern Research Station
- Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, 2014
IS THE PLANT "ARMED"?
Bud scales keeled and spine-tipped
LEAVES:
Deciduous
Simple
Alternate
FLOWER:
Spring/Summer
Greenish to orange-yellow (inconspicuous)
Radially symmetrical
5 sepals
5 petals
5 stamens
Superior ovary
FRUIT:
Summer/Fall
Orange/Orange-yellow
Capsule
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Invasive Plants, Guide to Identification, Impacts and Control (Kaufman & Kaufman, 2007) p206
- A Field Guide for the Identification of Invasive Plants in Southern Forests (Miller, Chambliss, & Lowenstein, 2010) p074
- Invasive Plants, Weeds of the Global Garden (Randall & Marinelli, 1996) p92
- Invasive Exotic Plants of North Carolina (Smith, 2008) p044
- Native Shrubs and Woody Vines of the Southeast (Foote & Jones, 1989) p088
- Newcomb's Wildflower Guide (Newcomb, 1977) p326
- Wildflowers & Plant Communities of the Southern Appalachian Mountains and Piedmont (Spira, 2011) p277
- Woody Plants of the Southeastern US: A Winter Guide (Lance, 2004) p096
If a search such as "Carex leptalea var. leptalea" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "Carex leptalea".
Or, to minimize chances of a misspelling, try just "Carex le".
Less is more: If "pencil flower" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "pencil".