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Species Image Gallery (opens in a new window) |
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| THE BITTERSWEET FAMILY | |||||||||
| The bittersweets are a family of trees, shrubs, or vines that grow on other species. The leaves are simple and green. The flowers are generally small and greenish or whitish in colour. One of the most noticeable features of the bittersweet family is the fruit. The fruits are usually brightly coloured, fleshy, one-seeded fruits or leathery capsules. The seeds in the capsules have an aril, which is a bright, fleshy appendage. Some members of the bittersweet family are used as ornamentals, others as medicines, but none of them can be eaten by humans. | |||||||||
| CLIMBING BITTERSWEET | |||||||||
| LATIN NAME: Celastrus scandens | |||||||||
| WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? | |||||||||
| Climbing bittersweet grows on other plant species, like pincherry for example, and can be up to 18 m long. The taproots for anchorage, but suckers are used to spread the plant. The stem is woody with dark brown to reddish or gray bark. The pith, or central tissue of the stem, is white. The leaves are alternate and stalked. The leaves are generally rounded to elliptic and may have smooth or saw-toothed margins. The small, greenish flowers are arranged in terminal clusters. The fruit is reddish. The seeds are yellow to reddish brown and are embedded in the fleshy, red aril. | |||||||||
| WHERE DOES IT GROW? | |||||||||
| Climbing bittersweet grows in moist, river valleys, usually on north or east-facing slopes. | |||||||||
| WHERE IS IT FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN? | |||||||||
| This plant grows in southeastern Saskatchewan in the Moist Mixed Grassland ecoregion | |||||||||
| WHY IS IT RARE? | |||||||||
| Climbing bittersweet is endangered in Saskatchewan because it is extremely rare and is highly regionally restricted. Most local populations are small and are threatened by possible planned developments. In the past, there has been limited horticultural trade of this species from Saskatchewan, which may mean that the levels of genetic diversity naturally present in the species have been altered. | |||||||||
| HOW TO IDENTIFY CLIMBING BITTERSWEET | |||||||||
| * Is the plant a woody vine? * Are the fruits reddish? * Do the seeds have a fleshy red aril? * Did you find in southeastern Saskatchewan? | |||||||||
| If you answered yes to all of these questions, you may have climbing bittersweet! | |||||||||
