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Oriental Bittersweet

Celastrus orbiculatus

Found in bottomland and riparian forests, moist upland forests and bluffs, glade margins, disturbed areas, thickets, roadsides, forests. FloraQuest, phone app (app page) What its natural habitat tells you

-85
Severe harm

Not native to Virginia. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 82%

Height
30–60 feet
Spread
5–10 feet
Light
Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture
Usually moist
See native alternatives

Do not plant. Listed invasive in Virginia.

Plant this instead

Choose your county to list local plants first.

  • Wild Potato-vine
    Ipomoea pandurata

    Sun: Full sun, Partial shade. Soil: Somewhat dry to moist. Flowers: Purple, red or white.

    Similar growth form, evergreen or deciduous, bloom season

  • Summer Grape
    Vitis aestivalis

    Sun: Full sun, Partial shade. Soil: Somewhat dry to moist. Flowers: Yellow or green.

    Similar growth form, evergreen or deciduous, light

  • Riverbank Grape
    Vitis riparia

    Sun: Full sun, Partial shade. Soil: Somewhat dry to moist. Flowers: Yellow or green.

    Similar growth form, height, evergreen or deciduous

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At a glance

Life cycle
Woody perennial
Leaves
Deciduous
Bloom
May to June
Fruiting season
August to September

Recorded in 59 Virginia counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 4

Forest edges and thickets

Wooded scene looking out over partially open fields
Named place / source context. Shown: Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, Georgia and Tennessee; which part is not recorded, a neighboring state.Wooded scene looking out over partially open fields, Richard Schlecht, undated. Public domain. Source record.

Floodplain and bottomland forests

Forests on low ground beside rivers and streams that flood from time to time.

Forests and woodlands

Forest or woodland where the source does not say how moist or dry.

Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground

Ground opened by people: roadsides, old fields, pastures, fencerows and lots.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Virginia. Shared habitat, not food. 33 animals.

All wildlife of Virginia

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

6CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including VA

Genus host records with ranges including VA · Celastrus

  • Acharia stimuleaSaddleback Caterpillar Moth
  • Antepione thisoariaVariable Antepione
  • Eutrapela clematariaCurved-Tooth Geometer, Purplish Brown Looper
  • Herpetogramma thestealisZigzag Herpetogramma, Subtle-Feathered Grass Moth
  • Pleuroprucha insulsariaCommon Tan Wave
  • Tetracis cachexiataWhite Slant-Line
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
—BeesSoutheastern regional records
—Specialist beesPollen specialists
6BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Celastrus

  • Bonasa umbellusRuffed Grouse
  • Catharus guttatusHermit Thrush
  • Myadestes townsendiTownsend's Solitaire
  • Sialia sialisEastern Bluebird
  • Turdus migratoriusAmerican Robin
  • Vireo olivaceusRed-eyed Vireo
Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Celastraceae
Hardiness
Zones 4a–8b
Soil pH
Acidic to alkaline
Flower color
Green
Growth rate
Rapid
Growth habit
Forms thickets
Foliage color
Green
Fruit begins
August
Fruit ends
September

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope
  • Bloom · “May to June” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs) · Carolinas and Georgia
  • Flower color · “Green” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs)
  • Foliage color · “Green” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Fruit begins · “August” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs) · Carolinas and Georgia
  • Fruit ends · “September” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs) · Carolinas and Georgia
  • Growth habit · “Forms thickets” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Growth rate · “Rapid” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Hardiness · “Zones 4a–8b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
  • Height · “30–60 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs)
  • Leaves · “Deciduous” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
  • Life cycle · “Woody perennial” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
  • Light · “Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day); Partial shade (direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
  • Soil · “Moist” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
  • Soil pH · “Acidic to alkaline” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
  • Spread · “5–10 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox

Conservation status

Virginia rankSNA
Global rankGNR
VA statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

Sources