''Celastrus'', commonly known as staff vine, staff tree or bittersweet, is a genus in the family
Celastraceae which comprises about 30-40 species of
shrub
A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...
s and
vines. They have a wide distribution in
East Asia,
Australasia,
Africa, and the
Americas
The Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World.
Along with th ...
.
The
leaves
A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...
are alternate and simple, ovoid, and typically long. The
flowers are small, white, pink or greenish, and borne in long
panicle
A panicle is a much-branched inflorescence. (softcover ). Some authors distinguish it from a compound spike inflorescence, by requiring that the flowers (and fruit) be pedicellate (having a single stem per flower). The branches of a panicle are of ...
s; the
fruit is a three-valved
berry
A berry is a small, pulpy, and often edible fruit. Typically, berries are juicy, rounded, brightly colored, sweet, sour or tart, and do not have a stone or pit, although many pips or seeds may be present. Common examples are strawberries, raspb ...
.
In
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
, they are known as bittersweet, presumably a result of confusion with the unrelated bittersweet (''
Solanum dulcamara
''Solanum dulcamara'' is a species of vine in the genus ''Solanum'' (which also includes the potato and the tomato) of the family Solanaceae. Common names include bittersweet, bittersweet nightshade, bitter nightshade, blue bindweed, Amara Dulci ...
'') by early colonists. ''
C. orbiculatus'' is a serious
invasive
Invasive may refer to:
*Invasive (medical) procedure
*Invasive species
*Invasive observation, especially in reference to surveillance
*Invasively progressive spread of disease from one organ in the body to another, especially in reference to cancer ...
weed in much of eastern North America.
Selected species
*''
Celastrus angulatus''
Maxim. – Chinese staff vine
*''
Celastrus australis''
– Australian staff vine
*''
Celastrus dispermus''
– orange boxwood
*''
Celastrus flagellaris''
Rupr.
*''
Celastrus gemmatus''
Loes.
*''
Celastrus hindsii''
Benth.
*''
Celastrus monospermus''
Roxb.
*''
Celastrus orbiculatus
''Celastrus orbiculatus'' is a woody vine of the family Celastraceae. It is commonly called Oriental bittersweet, as well as Chinese bittersweet, Asian bittersweet, round-leaved bittersweet, and Asiatic bittersweet. It is native to China, whe ...
''
Thunb. – Oriental bittersweet
*''
Celastrus paniculatus''
Willd. - peng
*''
Celastrus pyracanthus''
– South African staff vine
*''
Celastrus rosthornianus''
Loes.
*''
Celastrus scandens''
L. – American bittersweet
*''
Celastrus stylosus
''Celastrus'', commonly known as staff vine, staff tree or bittersweet, is a genus in the family Celastraceae which comprises about 30-40 species of shrubs and vines. They have a wide distribution in East Asia, Australasia, Africa, and the Amer ...
''
Wall.
*''
Celastrus vaniotii
''Celastrus'', commonly known as staff vine, staff tree or bittersweet, is a genus in the family Celastraceae which comprises about 30-40 species of shrubs and vines. They have a wide distribution in East Asia, Australasia, Africa, and the Ame ...
''
(H.Lév.) Rehder
References
Celastraceae
Celastrales genera
{{Celastraceae-stub