rocksnstumps
5 year old buck +
American or foreign crap?
Bittersweet
- Thread starter rocksnstumps
- Start date
Native Hunter
5 year old buck +
If you flattened out some of the leaves and took pictures of them I might be able to tell. The native has leaves about as long as they are wide. The invasive has leaves twice as long as they are wide.
However, they have now found hybrids between the two that have mingled characteristics of both. But the viability of the pollen produced by the hybrids is low, which is a good thing.
If I had to guess I would say that yours is either a native or a hybrid. The pure invasive generally only has 2 or 3 fruits per cluster, and the native has several more than that. Your vine appears to have more than that, but I can't really see it that well.
Another test is the color of the husks that encapsulate the fruit before the husks are shed. The native has yellow husks and the invasive has orange.
However, they have now found hybrids between the two that have mingled characteristics of both. But the viability of the pollen produced by the hybrids is low, which is a good thing.
If I had to guess I would say that yours is either a native or a hybrid. The pure invasive generally only has 2 or 3 fruits per cluster, and the native has several more than that. Your vine appears to have more than that, but I can't really see it that well.
Another test is the color of the husks that encapsulate the fruit before the husks are shed. The native has yellow husks and the invasive has orange.
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rocksnstumps
5 year old buck +
Might see about taking a few more pics this weekend if I get a chance
Maybe something in your description got switched around. This talks about yellow husks for foreign stuff on MN wildflower site.
Similar is Oriental Bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus), a highly invasive species that is a relative newcomer to Minnesota. It is most easily distinguished while flowering (C. orbiculatus flowers are in the leaf axils) or fruiting (fruits have yellow casings); see the Oriental Bittersweet page for more detail and comparative images.
Maybe something in your description got switched around. This talks about yellow husks for foreign stuff on MN wildflower site.
Similar is Oriental Bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus), a highly invasive species that is a relative newcomer to Minnesota. It is most easily distinguished while flowering (C. orbiculatus flowers are in the leaf axils) or fruiting (fruits have yellow casings); see the Oriental Bittersweet page for more detail and comparative images.
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