Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Rosids: Fabids: Celastrales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Celastrus scandens
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
Read more about American Bittersweet at Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Celastrus scandens
FAMILY
Celastraceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America
Celastrus scandens
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 113-01-001:
Celastrus scandens FAMILY Celastraceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Celastrus scandens
COMMON NAME:
American Bittersweet
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
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USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913 pnd_cesc_001_lvd
)
JK Marlow jkm170818_682
August Jackson County NC
Big Ridge Preserve
Leaves elliptic to obovate, cuspidate or acuminate, crenate-denticulate, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Celastrus scandens
FAMILY
Celastraceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Celastrus scandens
FAMILY
Celastraceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America
Celastrus scandens
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 113-01-001:
Celastrus scandens
FAMILY
Celastraceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Celastrus scandens
294
Climbing woody vine (twining)
Perennial
Polygamo-dioecious [mostly dioecious, but with some bisexual flowers]
Habitat: Dry-mesic to mesic upland forests and woodlands, woodland and thicket margins, bluffs, riparian and bottomland forests, glade margins. Often on rich or somewhat alkaline soils, per Weakley's Flora
Native to the Carolinas & Georgia
Rare
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
IS THE PLANT "ARMED"?
Bud scales rounded and non-spiny
LEAVES:
Deciduous
Simple
Alternate
FLOWER:
Spring/Summer
Greenish
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!
- Gardening with the Native Plants of Tennessee (Hunter, 2002) p222
- How to Recognize Shrubs (Grimm, 1966) p176
- Native Alternatives to Invasive Plants p135
- Native Shrubs and Woody Vines of the Southeast (Foote & Jones, 1989) p088
- Newcomb's Wildflower Guide (Newcomb, 1977) p326
- 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".