Common Name
Oriental bittersweet
Asiatic bittersweet
Plant Form
Vines
Region
Coastal
Piedmont
Mountain
Considered Invasive by the State of Virginia?
No
Threat Level
High
Additional Info
Notes: Woody perennial vine widely sold for landscaping. Unfortunately, this colorful non-native spreads from cultivation to old home sites, roadsides, fields, and forests, causing habitat destruction. It is invasive in natural areas of many eastern states, including Arlington and Alexandria, and national parks from Maine to North Carolina.
Method of removal: Cut and paint larger vines, hand pull otherwise
Attention! DO NOT COMPOST; Resprouts; Bag fruits
Additional links
Native Look-alikes
Celastrus scandens
Smilax bona-nox
Smilax glauca
Smilax hispida
Smilax laurifolia
Smilax rotundifolia
Smilax walteri
iNaturalist Research-grade Observations