Oriental Bittersweet Vine (celastrus orbiculatus) is one of the most loved/most hated vines in the category of invasive plant species. Loved because the thin vines produce beautiful orange berries in the fall that are coveted for decoration. Hated because those same orange berries are eaten by birds who in turn spread the Bittersweet seeds across the landscape.
It grows out of control around unattended areas, growing and strangling trees and invading entire sections of native shrubs. It can grow in a variety of environments. Its long persistent roots allow it to pop up repeatedly after pulling. You will recognize it by the way the green round, glossy, toothed-edged leaves alternate up the stem. When you pull it out of the ground, you will find that even the smallest plant has a tell-tale orange root. See the photos to help you identify Bittersweet in your garden. Pull it up as soon as you see it and before it can take hold and grow more woody and become tougher to remove.
Oriental bittersweet is on the invasive species list in New Hampshire. That means even clipping some for your holiday decor and transporting it is illegal because picking spreads seeds. In accordance with the NH Department of Agriculture Invasive Species Act (HB 1258-FN) “No person shall collect, transport, import, export, move, buy, sell, distribute, propagate or transplant any living and viable portion of any plant species, which includes all of their cultivars and varieties listed in Tale 3800.1 New Hampshire prohibited invasive species list.”
Why should you care? Because once you have this invasive in your landscape it is a constant battle to keep your area free of Bittersweet. If left to grow it will monopolize and strangle any plants it is near and monopolize light, food, and water.
Laura M Smith
/ 27 Apr 2019The leaves look just like my blue hydrangea leaves and I was wondering which has sprouted elsewhere so I should pull it up and look at the root for orange to be sure and replant if it is a hydrangea with no orange??
rgnursery
/ 07 May 2019That sounds right. Scrape the stem with your fingernail or a thin blade and see if there is a tangerine orange hue to the skin or flesh. If so – that’s bittersweet. Try to yank the whole thing out, by the root, as deeply as possible.
Katy Cain
/ 14 Jun 2019Hi there,
I’m putting together an invasive plant fact sheet and this is the best Oriental Bittersweet photo I could find! Could we use it on our document? It’s to help volunteers ID the plant.
rgnursery
/ 20 Jun 2019Hi Katy! Absolutely – go for it. Thank you for asking us – that’s a nice courtesy and we appreciate it!
Priscilla Osgood
/ 09 Oct 2019Pulling and cutting in the spring/summer does not get rid of bittersweet in my garden. It seems the more I pull the more grows back. It has twisted into my bushes and small trees. How do I get rid of it?
rgnursery
/ 10 Oct 2019The best way to combat it: just keep battling it back with brute force. Chop it at the base as often as you can, rip out the suckers and rope-like vines running underground as best you can. Get as much of the root as you can (the roots are orange, so you can spot them that way). You can chop it at the base, and spray the base with an herbicide (some use the heavy duty Round Up spray) but we don’t recommend that because it doesn’t really work that well, and then you’re spraying toxic chemicals all over the place. Just keep yanking it out, and you’ll eventually only have to battle back smaller roots. And the less it produces berries and seeds – the better. If you can rip it out before the berries – you’re doing great.
Claudine
/ 10 Oct 2019so we just brought quite a bit to our landfill with other yard / brush waste; did we break the law? once you pull it up, how do you get rid of it? we have SO much!
rgnursery
/ 10 Oct 2019No – I think the local dumps and EPAs know that people are doing the best they can with it. So you will not get in trouble. I think they just don’t want people making wreaths and bouquets and gifts of it in stores or as hobbies, and then sending it around to other states. Or planting it in their garden, not realizing what they’re doing. But if you’re simply trying to manage your yard – I don’t think they consider that criminal. Do not put it in your compost pile, and you may even want to make a pile of it and burn it once a year. The best way to combat it: just keep battling it back with brute force. Chop it at the base as often as you can, rip out the suckers and rope-like vines running underground as best you can. Get as much of the root as you can (the roots are orange, so you can spot them that way). You can chop it at the base, and spray the base with an herbicide (some use the heavy duty chemical spray) but we don’t recommend that because it doesn’t really work that well, and then you’re spraying unnatural chemicals all over the place. Just keep yanking it out, and you’ll eventually only have to battle back smaller roots. And the less it produces berries and seeds – the better. If you can rip it out before the berries – you’re doing great.