Asiatic Bittersweet, Celastrus orbiculatus

• Perennial, deciduous, woody vine
• Climbs high in the canopy, twining around mature plans and overtaking them
• Characteristic yellow leaves and bright red seeds in fall and winter
• Bright orange roots

• Spreads by seed via birds, small mammals, and discarded wreaths, and by new shoots and root-fragment regeneration
• Native to Japan, China, and Korea
• Introduced as an ornamental vine

Management techniques:

• Hand-pulling small plants and seedlings
• Repetitive cutting of large vines over several years
• Consistent mowing

Climbing Nightshade, Solanum dulcamara

• Perennial, herbaceous, climbing vine
• Three leaflets with one large center leaflet and two smaller alternating leaflets at the end of each stem
• Purple flowers and red berries, both poisonous to humans

• Spreads by seed dispersal via birds and by stem fragmentation
• Native to Eastern Europe, Northern Africa, and Asia
• Introduced as an ornamental vine

Management techniques:

• Hand-pulling vines 
• Digging or excavating roots
• Consistent mowing

Properly dispose of all discarded plant material
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Black Swallowwort, Cynanchum louiseae

• Perennial, herbaceous, twining vine
• Slender, green pods in fruiting season that look and function similarly to milkweed
• Toxic to Monarch butterfly larvae

• Spreads by seed via wind and carried by animal fur, or by rhizomes in the soil
• Native to Europe
• Introduced as an ornamental vine

Management techniques:

• Dig roots before seed pods develop
• Consistent mowing before pod production

Beware of sap (may cause skin reactions) and properly dispose of all discarded plant material!

Porcelain Berry, Ampelopsis glandulosa

• Deciduous, perennial, woody climbing vine
• Small greenish yellow flowers cluster at leaf base
• Speckled berries that range from turquoise to pink to purple

• Primarily spreads by seed via birds, but can produce new shoots through root fragments and occasionally suckers
• Native to Eastern Russia, China, Korea, and Japan
• Introduced as an ornamental vine

Management techniques:

• Hand-pulling small plants and seedlings
• Repetitive cutting of larger vines during the growing season over several years
• Consistent mowing

Hardy Kiwi, Actinidia arguta

• Woody, deciduous, climbing vine
• Features small, smooth fruit that are entirely edible (and taste like Kiwi!)
• White to pale green flowers during bloom

• Spreads vegetatively; roots can form from stem nodes that are in contact with soil (usually resulting in sprawling, lateral movement)
• Native to East Asia and Siberia
• Introduced as an ornamental vine

Management techniques:

• Hand-pulling vines 
• Digging or excavating roots
• Repetitive cutting of stems near the ground

Mile-a-Minute Vine, Persicaria perfoliata

• Vigorous herbaceous, annual vine
• Fleshy, pea-sized fruit

• Spreads by seed via birds, other wildlife, and occasionally water
• Native to India, China, Japan, and Eastern Asia
• Introduced as a contaminant in imported nursery stock

Not currently prevalent in Maine, but it has been discovered in nursery stock across the state. 

Want to report a siting? Visit the Maine DACF website here