Celastrus

Staff vine
Celastrus scandens
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Rosids
Order: Celastrales
Family: Celastraceae
Subfamily: Celastroideae
Genus: Celastrus
L.[1]
Species

See text

Celastrus, commonly known as staff vine, staff tree or bittersweet, is a genus in the Celastraceae family which comprises about 30-40 species of shrubs and vines. They have a wide distribution in East Asia, Australasia, Africa, and the Americas.

Celastrus orbiculatus

The leaves are alternate and simple, ovoid, and typically 5–20 cm (2.0–7.9 in) long. The flowers are small, white, pink or greenish, and borne in long panicles; the fruit is a three-valved berry.

In North America, they are known as bittersweet, presumably a result of confusion with the unrelated bittersweet (Solanum dulcamara) by early colonists. C. orbiculatus is a serious invasive weed in much of eastern North America.



Selected species

References

  1. "Celastrus L.". Germplasm Resources Information Network. United States Department of Agriculture. 2007-10-05. Retrieved 2009-04-16.
  2. "Species Records of Celastrus". Germplasm Resources Information Network. United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 2009-04-16.
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