Known As: American Bittersweet, Bittersweet, Climbing Bittersweet, Climbing Orange-root, Climbing Staff Tree, False Bittersweet, Fevertwig, Fever-twitch, Jacob's Ladder, Roxbury Waxwork, Shrubby Bittersweet, Staff Tree, Staff Vine, Waxwork, Yellowroot
Latin Name:  Celastraceae family
Description: Attractive trailing vine that climbs any surface.  Fine textured, glossy-green leaves cover the stem.  When a young plant the clinging stems have small leaves but established plants may have mature bushy branches with inconspicuous small greenish flowers, bright red berries and larger, leathery leaves.  Flowers have 5 sepals, petals and stamens with a fleshy disk between stamens and pistil.  Some variants may also have white-edged leaves. Some family members are grown as ornamentals, particularly members of the genus Euonymus, a diverse group of trees, shrubs, and woody climbers, some of which produce brilliant autumn colors, such as Burning Bush or Wahoo, E. atropurpurea.
Poisonous parts:  Bark, leaves and seeds.  Berries can be fatal.
Symptoms: Vomiting, abdominal cramps, diarrhea, convulsions, coma..
Treatment: Unless your cat is unconscious or having convulsions, induce vomiting and follow procedures to delay absorption and speed elimination.  Get prompt veterinary assistance.
 
 
 

 

Other common names.—False bittersweet, climbing bittersweet, shrubby bittersweet,
fevertwig, fever-twitch, staff tree, climbing staff tree, staff vine, waxwork, Roxbury waxwork,
yellowroot, climbing orange-root, Jacob's-ladder.

Habitat and range.—This woody vine or climbing shrub is found in woods and thickets,
growing in rich damp soil from Ontario to Manitoba and south to North Carolina and New
Mexico.

Description.—American bittersweet is a woody and shrubby climber, growing over trees or
fences. It has smooth thin leaves 2 to 4 inches long and about half as wide. The small
greenish-white or greenish-yellow flowers are produced in June in short clusters. The fruit is a
roundish, orange-yellow capsule which opens in autumn, disclosing the scarlet-colored seed.
The seed capsules remain on the plant well into the cold season.

A decorative vine with light green leaves and massive amounts of scarlet berries.