American Bittersweet

Size, growth and what to expect

American bittersweet grows fast, nearly three feet a year in our growth estimator. It is a twining vine that climbs 15 to 40 feet, and with nothing to climb it sprawls like a shrub. One plant spreads 2 to 8 feet wide, and root suckers can spread it into a thicket.

Small greenish flowers open in May and June, in clusters at the branch tips. Orange capsules about a third of an inch across ripen from late August into October and split to show scarlet-coated seeds. They hang on into midwinter, feeding ruffed grouse, bobwhite quail, wild turkeys, songbirds, fox squirrels and cottontails. The leaves turn yellow in fall.

It grows wild from Maine and southern Quebec west to Manitoba and Montana, and south to Texas and the mountains of Georgia and Alabama. Its home is thickets, woodland edges, fence rows, stream banks and rocky slopes. NatureServe ranks it critically imperiled in Alabama, Louisiana and Texas, at the southern edge of its range.

How to grow American Bittersweet

American bittersweet fruits best in full sun and grows in part shade. It takes most soils that drain well, from sand to clay, and once rooted it rides out drought and road salt. Rich soil lets it outgrow its space, so a lean, dry spot suits it best. Its twining stems cannot grip a flat wall, so give it a sturdy fence, trellis or arbor. Keep it off shrubs and young trees, since its stems can girdle a trunk as it thickens. Stand the support 4 feet from a wall, and set plants 12 feet apart. Keep it at least 15 feet from overhead wires.

Saplings ship bare-root or potted. Plant them dormant, from leaf fall until bud swell, in a hole wider than the roots and no deeper. Set the crown at the soil line, put the native soil back in, and keep the mulch clear of the stems. Pick the fruit once the capsules split, and let it dry for two or three weeks. Sow the cleaned seed outdoors in fall, a quarter inch deep. For spring, hold it damp in the refrigerator for two to six months first.

Water weekly through the first summer and in dry spells until it is established. Rabbits and deer browse the leaves and stems, so cage young plants where they are many. Prune in early spring to keep it in bounds and to bring on fruit.

Vines are male or female, and only females bear fruit, so plant three or more seedlings for a male and a female. One male can serve six to nine females. Bees carry most of the pollen, and wind may carry some. Powdery mildew, crown gall and euonymus scale can show up, and scale can be serious. All parts of the plant are reported to be poisonous, and eating the fruit can cause vomiting and diarrhea.