Round Leaf Bittersweet

Celastrus orbiculatus

Round Leaf Bittersweet

Family: Celastraceae

Other Scientific Names:

Celastrus articulatus var. Orbiculatus, Ilex leucantha, Catha articulata, Celastrus articulates, Celastrus articulatus var. humilis, Celastrus articulatus var. papillosus, Celastrus crispulus, Celastrus insularis, Celastrus jeholensis, Celastrus lancifolius, Celastrus orbiculatus f. aureoarillatus, Celastrus orbiculatus var. aureoarillatus, Celastrus orbiculatus f. major, Celastrus orbiculatus f. papillosus, Celastrus orbiculatus var. papillosus, Celastrus orbiculatus var. punctatus, Celastrus orbiculatus var. strigillosus, Celastrus strigillosus, Celastrus tatarinowii, Celastrus versicolor


Other Common Names: climbing spindleberry, staff vine, Oriental bittersweet, Oriental staff vine, Asiatic bittersweet
Weed class: A
Year Listed: 2025
Native to: Eastern Asia
Is this Weed Toxic?:

Not known to be


Why Is It a Noxious Weed?

Round leaf bittersweet grows very fast, both vertically choking trees, and horizontally infesting through a forest. 

How would I identify it?

General Description

Deciduous, woody vine, which can grow to over 100 feet up vegetation and the landscape. 

Flower Description

Small (less than 1cm wide), inconspicuous white to pale green or yellow, with 5 petals.

Leaf description

Generally round, with shallow to deep serration. Leaves grow alternately up stems. Leaves are generally light to lime green in the summer, and age to a bright yellow in the autumn.

Stem description

Mature stems are gray to dark brown, which are rough with many ridges and old leaf nodes. There are also very small holes, called lenticels, which help with gas exchange.

Fruit Seed Description

Berries start green and mature to a very obvious red to orange berries grow all along the stems with leaves.  There is often a leathery yellow outer wall that peels back and can remain on the berries. The berries remain on plants through the winter, providing food to birds.

May Be Confused With

The only other woody vines that occur in Washington are English Ivy species, honeysuckles (Lonicera), and clematis species

Ivy leaves, while variable, look very different to non-waxy, light green, and usually round leaves of bittersweet.

Honeysuckles and clematis species have much larger and showy-er flowers. Clematis leaves are generally tear-drop shaped, while honeysuckle leaves grow in opposite pairs along the stems.

There is a native bittersweet, American bittersweet, however, this species is not present or native to Western North America, including Washington. 

Where does it grow?

Deep to partial shade in forested and moist areas.

How Does it Reproduce?

Vegetatively through root suckering, horizonal vegetative spread, breaking off and resprouting of stems. Also by seed, which are very attractive to birds, which spread to remote forested areas.

How Do I Control It?

Hand pull or dig out small and young plants. 

Vines climbing up trees can be killed by cutting the vine completely through, however this will result in resprouting from the plant growing in the soil.

Herbicides can be applied to plants to provide better control. For detailed herbicide options and directions, see Penn State Extension page on round leaf bittersweet

Always follow label directions, local laws and regulations, and wear appropriate personal protective equipment when using herbicide.

For More Information

See our written findings on Roundleaf Bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus)

Additional Photos