

The Bittersweet Invasion
There may be occasions when Oriental bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus) still seems somewhat attractive: perhaps as a single vine with a small flourish of orange and yellow fruit. But modest stature and limited fruit production are what we never see as bittersweet tries, and succeeds, to dominate every habitat it traduces. At this time of year, fruiting or not, there is nothing about the vine that doesn't proclaim its thuggishness, tenacity, and conquest. In October the waxy