“Round-leaved bittersweet, Celastrus orbiculatus, is a woody vine native to East Asia, with a native range encompassing the Korean Peninsula, Japan, eastern China, and Mongolia. It was introduced to Poland as an ornamental plant around the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries and relatively quickly escaped from cultivation into natural and semi-natural habitats, representing a typical example of a garden escape.
Under Central European climatic conditions, round-leaved bittersweet reproduces both vegetatively through shoots and generatively through seeds.
Its rapid growth, expansive spread, and ability to colonize natural habitats pose a serious threat to native vegetation, which is often suppressed and may eventually die due to intense shading.
In Wielkopolska National Park, three sites of Celastrus orbiculatus are recorded. The biggest site is located in forest sub-compartment 117Kg and occupies aprox. 6,3% of its area and forms an almost continuous blanket. Two smaller sites are located near Puszczykowo town (one within the borders of the Natural Park, the other in the buffer zone).
As part of the LIFE24-NAT-PL-Control IAS for LIFE project, Wielkopolski National Park will be testing three methods for controlling this invasive species over the next four years. Fieldwork will begin later this year, and we’ll be sharing updates in future posts.
Author: Iga Mercedes Budzyńska
