Stats

Lifespan: Perennial
Size: Large
Diet: Photosynthetic
Biome: Temperate forest
Range: East Asia
Movement: Climbing
Breeding: Seeds
Defense: Toxins
Status: Common

About

Oriental bittersweet is a woody deciduous vine native to eastern Asia, introduced to North America in 1879 and now considered highly invasive across the eastern US. In autumn it produces striking yellow capsules that split open to reveal brilliant scarlet-red seeds — the same showy display that makes birds spread it widely and helps it overtake and girdle native trees.

Life cycle

1.
seed
A dormant seed waits for water and warmth before germinating.
2.
sprout
A first shoot emerges with cotyledon leaves and a tap root reaching down.
3.
sapling
A young plant grows true leaves and a stem or trunk, putting on height each season.
4.
mature
Fully grown, flowering or fruiting at adult size.

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Taxonomy

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Celastrales
Family: Celastraceae
Genus: Celastrus
Species: Celastrus orbiculatus