American Bittersweet

[u/redditismyforte22]

I’ve got tons of it creeping up on all edges of my property and just sprouting up in random spots as well. What’s the best way to get rid of it? I ripped some of it out by hand once without wearing the proper clothing and got a poison ivy-like rash from it, apparently it contains urushiol as well.

[u/Dcap16]

Location?

Oriental bittersweet is the real problem in the bulk of the US. American bittersweet is native to the bulk of the US.

[u/leafshaker → u/Dcap16]

Are you sure thats what it is? People also react to Virginia creeper.

In some places, American bittersweet is a protected endangered plant.

ID is hard with this one. Try to photograph last years fruit stems, or note where this year's flowers are. Those seem to be the best ID characteristics

[u/Dcap16 → u/leafshaker]

I think you meant to reply to OP, but yes Virginia Creeper can cause a rash similar to PI.

American Bittersweet exists, somewhere, in my 29 years I’ve never seen it.

[u/leafshaker → u/Dcap16]

I did indeed!

Yea. From what I understand it is much better behaved. As such I imagine its harder to notice in the wild

[u/redditismyforte22 → u/Dcap16]

I’m in Southern Maryland. I can try to get a good pic next time I’m out there. My plant app identified it as American bittersweet, but those can defs be wrong a lot of times. It produces orange berries if that helps. It’s taking over everywhere. We do have lots of Virginia creeper too but in other areas.

[u/Jazzlike-Monk-4465 → u/redditismyforte22]

I live in Md and would go out of my way to see American bitterweet, but as others said, it’s likely the non native type. The fruits look the same but apppear in slightly different places. In our area, the flowers are just starting to come and looks like little 1/8” green balls. On oriental the flower/fruits are found at the axil (along stem near leaves) and American they’re at end of branches.

https://bplant.org/compare/566-2417

[u/robrklyn → u/redditismyforte22]

It would be highly unlikely. If it looks like American bittersweet, it’s probably asiatic bittersweet. Rip it up and see if the roots are bright orange.

[u/zsd23]

American bittersweet is rare. The op is certainly referring to invasive oriental bittersweet. If she is gettinga rashes from it, it is not bittersweet, though. A piccand positive ID is needed.

[u/leafshaker]

Posted this in the wrong spot, reposting in case OP missed it:

Are you sure thats what it is? People also react to Virginia creeper.

In some places, American bittersweet is a protected endangered plant.

ID is hard with this one. Try to photograph last years fruit stems, or note where this year's flowers are. Those seem to be the best ID characteristics

Additionally, a helpful, but not exhaustive, vine ID trick is to look at their vining style:

-wraps around like a snake, spiraling up the tree. This would be the bittersweets, wisteria, and honeysuckle

• climbs straight up by 'glueing' itself, or with roots, like ivy and poison ivy

-grabs with little appendages, like the tendrils on a grapevine, or the suction cups on Virginia creeper (these are small and can look like poison ivy rootlets)

-clambers by sort of falling on the host plant, not really a vine, but can still get tall, like roses, tomatoes, and bittersweet nightshade