American Bittersweet

American Bittersweet is native to the United States and is best know for it’s red berries that brighten up the winter landscape. Its perennial woody vine can climb to 30 feet tall.

Like many seeds, Bittersweet seeds need to be cold stratified before they germinate. An easy way to do this is to place them in a plastic bag with damp sand and store them in the refrigerator for three months, or plant them outside in the fall so they go through cold during the wintertime.

American Bittersweet (Celastrus Scandens) is not to be confused with Oriental Bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus) which is an invasive species from China. Oriental Bittersweet should not be planted in North America.