Fall ... A Bittersweet Time

One of the signs of fall is the appearance of American bittersweet (Celastrus scandens). In the fall, the bright orange fruits are found hanging in clusters on the vines. The fleshy orange seed coverings (arils) on the fruit split open into three sections. Thus, it appears as if the vine is "blooming" when few other plants are producing showy flowers. Bittersweet is often cut and used in dried floral arrangements and wreaths.

Historically, American bittersweet has been used for medicinal purposes and for food. Root tissues of this plant have been used to induce vomiting. It was also used as a treatment for venereal disease and as an ointment applied to burns and swellings. In 1658, it was written that starving Indians near Lake Superior dug through snow piled as high as five feet to harvest bittersweet bark which was boiled, dried, reduced to a powder and eaten. Another report in 1870 states that the bark of the bittersweet was sweet and palatable when boiled. Although the fruit is purportedly poisonous if ingested, there are no documented cases of human poisoning. Cases are known where horses have been poisoned by eating the leaves. Wildlife such as cottontail rabbits, fox squirrels and as many as 15 species of birds (ruffed grouse, bobwhite quail, etc.) feed on the fruit and whitetailed deer eat the leaves.

American bittersweet is found in nearly every county, except a few in southeastern Missouri. It can be found in the woods, rocky slopes, along bluffs, borders of glades, thickets and along fence rows. The seeds are dispersed after the fruit is eaten by birds. The vine also spreads vegetatively by root suckers. Not only is it found in the wild, but it has also been cultivated since 1736. In the garden, it is grown on trellis structures, walls, rocks, fencing and other plants.

While American bittersweet is a valued native plant, Oriental bittersweet or round-leaved bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus) is an invasive species that was introduced from eastern Asia in 1860. In the eastern United States, it escaped from cultivation. At Fern Rocks Nature Preserve in Jackson County, Illinois, it has eliminated native ephemerals and ground-cover species. Oriental bittersweet can climb up to 60 feet in trees. The vine can be as large as four inches in diameter and eventually shades and constricts trees and shrubs. For small populations, vines can be pruned to the ground and spot-treated with glyphosate just after the last killing frost. For large infestations, Crossbow (a mixture of 2, 4-D and triclopyr) may be applied in mid- to late October. This herbicide should be applied while backing away from the treated area to avoid walking through the wet herbicide and treating non-targeted plants.

Oriental Bittersweet. Illustration taken from Shrubs and Woody Vines of Missouri written by Don Kurz. Illustrations by Paul Nelson.

American Bittersweet. Illustration taken from Shrubs and Woody Vines of Missouri written by Don Kurz. Illustrations by Paul Nelson.

Michele Warmund