PlantFiles: Oriental Bittersweet
Celastrus orbiculatus

This plant has invaded our property in New Hampshire. We have dug up roots, pulled old bittersweet growth out, cut much growth, unwound it from around small trees. I believe it is slated to be on the prohibited list of plants for sale in New Hampshire. The roots criss-cross near the surface. Outside of hard labor digging and destroying, is there any way to eliminate this orange rooted plant? Is there perhaps a environment-friendly chemical to destroy it? Thank you for any imput.

Very invasive! In my yard it would creep underground and pop up anywhere, even as much as 40 yards away from any previously known location, to climb onto and start strangling other plants. After 3 years in the house, I don't think there were any flowerbeds or shrubs that it DIDN'T ultimately attack. When you pull it out by the roots, bits of it break off so it will regenerate later (only solution is to repeat every time you see a new one). Also, if you just lay the roots on the grass to "bake" they'll send new shoots into the ground and regrow, so after weeding you have to lay it onto asphault or something until it shrivels. On an interesting note, apparently slugs thrived on its bright-orange roots, since all the slugs in my garden were orange, and their color reverted after my ongoing anti-bittersweet campaign...

I have taken up tissue culture of this plant using immature emryos as explants and was very successful in developing a complete regeneration protocol published in Jan 2003 issue of Journal of Plant Biotechnology and Biochemisrty, published by IARI, Delhi, India


M.Sharada, Plant Tissue Culture Unit,
Regional Research Laboratory,
Jammu, 180 001, India

I am doing Ph.D. on tissue culture and propagation studies of Celastrus paniculatus Willd. I would like to share my experiences about its seed germination. Interested persons may write to

Gajendra Rao
R R I (Ayurveda), Ashoka Pillar, Madhavan park, Bangalore- 560 011 (India).
If you know its proagation methods please let me know.

Very, very invasive in the northeast and mid-Atlantic states. Birds spread it by seed and it grows from the root. It is very, very hard to eradicate. It grows rampantly to the point that it covers trees and blocks them from photosynthesizing. The named varieties are said to be not invasive.

very invasive. will kill trees and schrubs if allowed to climb them. strangles trees by setting into the bark 1/4" per year. cutting back to the root without using a chemical to eliminate the roots will cause more rampant growth. causing serious problems in woodlands across our nation.

Flowers early summer, fruits autumn. Rounded, scalloped to toothed leaves have pointed tips and turn yellow in autumn. Grrn flowers ar inconspicuous. Yellow fruits split open when ripe to reveal scarlet coated seeds.