Twining vine with round, glossy to semi-glossy, finely toothed leaves the size of a quarter to half-dollar.
Flowers and fruit occur at base of leaf stems.
Greenish-yellow flowers in May with 5 petals.
Greenish-yellow fruit splits open to reveal three red-orange fleshy seeds.
Origin--Eastern Asia
Distribution
Scattered at low to mid-elevations with populations spreading rapidly.
Asheville, NC and neighboring counties inundated, Fontana area and Knoxville heavily infested.
Starts in alluvial woods, road sides, thickets, and old homesites. Seeds spread by birds and small mammals.
Spreads to undisturbed moist or dry forests.
Threat
Aggressively covers, shades, and chokes native vegetation at all levels. Believed to readily hybridize with native bittersweet. Tolerates shade. From forest edges it can enter forests.
Control
Hand pull small infestations, but requires 100% removal, which is difficult.
For dense infestations, cut vines and follow with glyphosate herbicide to the stumps. (Note: Apply herbicides before spring wildflowers emerge or after killing frost.)
Follow-up & late season treatments necessary.
Similar Plants
American bittersweet (Celastrus scandens), which has flowers only at ends of vines and oblong (not round) leaves.
Links to sites with additional information on Oriental Bittersweet
