Celastrus SCANDENS

Celastrus SCANDENS - American bittersweet, Climbing bittersweet, Celastrus scandens.

Under indoor conditions it can be grown in bonsai style.

The genus Celastrus comprises about 30 species of deciduous or evergreen large woody vines with long climbing shoots having a small number of leaves. Sometimes it grows in the form of a shrub with short straight shoots densely clothed in simple alternate leaves. It blooms with dioecious inconspicuous flowers, solitary or gathered in erect panicles. It bears fruit in three-valved capsules of various colors containing seeds in bright fleshy arils.

Bittersweets are quite unpretentious, undemanding to soil, and prefer good lighting, while experiencing no distress in partial shade. All varieties, owing to their climbing nature, scramble up trees, wrap around their trunks, and frequently cause their demise.

American bittersweet is a North American deciduous shrub capable of climbing a support to a height of up to 8 m (26 ft). On glossy gray branches or yellow-green shoots grow alternate, mosaic, pointed, finely serrulate, glabrous leaves of ovate shape 5-10 cm (2-4 in) long and up to 5 cm (2 in) wide. After leaf emergence, in May-June, flowering begins with typical dioecious greenish-white flowers in erect panicles up to 10 cm (4 in) long. It bears fruit in yellow-orange capsules up to 8 mm (0.3 in) in diameter, containing seeds in bright red arils.

Bittersweet seeds are stratified for 3-4 months in a cold environment at a temperature of 4-5 °C (39-41 °F). Under home conditions, seeds are placed in a refrigerator. Before planting, seeds are soaked for 24 hours, then sown to a depth of 1.5-2 cm (0.6-0.8 in) and covered with a layer of soil. They are moistened from a spray bottle, covered with film, and germinated in the light at a temperature of 21-22 °C (70-72 °F). Seedlings require ventilation. Overwatering and drying out of the sowings must be avoided.

Bittersweet is a dioecious plant, and sex cannot be determined from seedlings: it shows only with the first bloom, in the fourth to fifth year. To obtain fruit, several seedlings are grown and planted in a group, leaving one male specimen for every five to six females.

First-year seedlings grow slowly and overwinter under cover, but starting from the second season they shoot upward rapidly and already require support. Transplanting to a permanent location is done in spring, before bud break, trying not to disturb the root ball.

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Bittersweet is frost-resistant and tolerates partial shade well. It grows quickly in fertile, moist, well-drained soils. It produces abundant root suckers. Propagated by seeds, softwood cuttings, and layering.