Common Name: Climbing Bittersweet

General Information

Celastrus scandens is a deciduous climbing plant with branched, twining stems that can grow up to 15 metres high into the surrounding vegetation[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food, medicine and source of materials.

Known Hazards

The fruit is poisonous[]. All parts of the plant are potentially toxic[].

Botanical References

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Range

Eastern and central N. America - Saskatchewan to Quebec, south to Texas and Georgia

Habitat

Rich soils[] in dense moist thickets, woods and along river banks[, ].
Thickets, woodland margins, roadsides, usually rich soils; at elevations up to 1,400 metres[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Deciduous Climber
Height	8.00 m
Pollinators	Bees
Self-fertile	No
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Prefers a deep loamy soil[]. Dislikes chalky soils[]. Succeeds in full or partial shade[]. Requires a humus-rich soil if it is to be at its best[].
A rampant climber, it requires ample space and is best grown into an old tree. It climbs by means of twining and also by prickles on the young stems[]. Plants do not normally require pruning[].
The plant has tbe habit of twining about other woody plants and eventually embedding itself in their bark so deeply that tbe spiral form is preserved after cutting for canes, etc[].
The foliage of some wild plants is variegated[]. There are some named forms, selected for their ornamental value[].
A good bee plant[].
Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus[].
Plants are usually dioecious, in which case male and female plants must be grown if seed is required[]. This species seldom fruits freely in Britain[].

Edible Uses

Bark and twigs - they must be cooked[]. The thickish bark is sweet and palatable after boiling[, , ]. Another report says that it is the inner bark that is used, and that it is a starvation food, only used when other foods are in short supply[]. Some caution is advised in the use of this plant since there are suggestions of toxicity.

Medicinal

Climbing bittersweet was employed medicinally by a number of native North American Indian tribes, though it is scarcely used in modern herbalism[].

The root is diaphoretic, diuretic and emetic[]. It is a folk remedy for chronic liver and skin ailments (including skin cancer), rheumatism, leucorrhoea, dysentery and suppressed menses[]. A strong compound infusion, usually combined with raspberry leaf tea, has been used to reduce the pain of childbirth[].
A poultice of the boiled root has been used to treat obstinate sores, skin eruptions etc[].

Externally, the bark is used as an ointment on burns, scrapes and skin eruptions[].

Extracts of the bark are thought to be cardioactive[].
Many plants in this genus contain compounds of interest for their antitumour activity[].

Other Uses

The bark yields a good fibre[].

Propagation

Seed - gather when ripe, store in dry sand and sow late winter in a warm greenhouse[]. Three months cold stratification leads to a higher germination rate[]. Remove the flesh of the fruit since this inhibits germination[]. Germination rates are usually good[]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in a greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Layering in August of the current seasons growth. Takes 12 months[].
Root cuttings, 6mm thick 25mm long in December. Plant horizontally in pots in a frame[].