American Bittersweet

Celastrus scandens L.

Bittersweet family

Plant Type

Vine

Life Cycle

Perennial

Mature Height

15.0 feet

Spread

3.0 feet

Flower Color

White

Bloom Time

Spring

Growing Conditions

Light

Shade Tolerance Tolerant

Water

Water Use High

Drought Tolerance Medium

Flood Tolerance None

Soil

Soil Types Clay, Loam, Sand

CaCO3 Tolerance Medium

Fertility Need Medium

Stress Tolerance

Fire Tolerance High

Salt Tolerance None

Climate

pH Range 5.0 – 7.5

Frost-Free Days 110 days

Precipitation 30 – 60 in

Ecosystem & Wildlife

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

Larval Host Eutrapela clemataria, Pleromelloida conserta, Samia cynthia cynthia, Zelleria calastrusella

Fall Color Yes

Evergreen No

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.