American Bittersweet

Celastrus scandens L. - Bittersweet family

Size

Mature Height: Up to around 15.0 feet

Planting Distance: 3.0 feet

Plant Type: Vine

Root Depth: 18 inches

Growth Form: Thicket Forming

Growth Rate: Rapid

Features

Flower Color: White

Conspicuous Flowers: No

Bloom Time: Spring

Seasonal Growth: Spring and Summer

Evergreen: No

Fall Colors: Yes

Conditions

Shade Tolerance: Tolerant

Clay Soil Tolerance: Yes

Sandy Soil Tolerance: Yes

Drought Tolerance: Medium

Flood Tolerance: None

Fire Tolerance: High

Salt Tolerance: None

Ecosystem Interactions

Pollinators: Native Bees; Bombus; Honey Bees; Beetles, Wasps, Flies; Larval Host (Moth)

Larval Species depending on American Bittersweet: Eutrapela clemataria, Pleromelloida conserta, Samia cynthia cynthia, Zelleria calastrusella

Native Range

  • USA:  Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode I., South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming
  • CAN:  Manitoba, Ontario, Québec, Saskatchewan
Regional Native Status: L48 (N), CAN (N)

State-level native status is based on data available through Plants of the World Online. Regional Native Status comes from the USDA Plants Database. For more detailed native status information, please refer to BONAP.