Wood-pester : an ornamental leafy plant

Gardeners often use bittersweet vine to decorate outdoor structures. Fences, gazebos, and houses can all feature this plant. It has unique traits and a distinct look.

It is also known as Celastrus, or Bladderwort. It belongs to the Celastraceae family.

Bittersweet is a vine that lives for many years. Its name fits because it harms other plants. It wraps around nearby trees and shrubs. Then, it grows into the wood and takes the tree's nutrients. This causes the tree to weaken and die.

This plant looks nice, but it is poisonous. Do not eat any part of it. The vines can grow up to 46 feet long in the wild. Young stems have smooth, green bark. As they get older, the bark turns brown, then gray-brown. Cracks often appear on the bark of older vines.