On a remote island on Lake of the Woods (Northwestern Ontario), there are quite a lot of what I thought was American Bittersweet vines. But looking at the new growth, what must be a shoot arising from the roots, the new leaves have a leaf thorn. Does that mean this is Oriental Bittersweet?
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I would forward these picture to your local cooperative extension. They will help you identify it since they are experts in your area.
It could be a hybrid. This Michigan article talks about them:
msue.anr.msu.edu/
This second article is interesting also.
www.thespruce.com/
Perhaps your ag ministry can give you ways to control the invasive nature of these vines. Their contact info is below:
From your comments I do not believe this is in your yard but something you are interested in?
If it has thorns then it most likely is the dreaded Oriental bittersweet and will most likely eventually kill that tree it is growing on.
The Oriental bittersweet plant is similar to a lot of other plants that people either love or hate but it seems it is definitely an invasive plant and most cities do not want it in their area.
But - bird people like it because it seems to give birds a lot of food during the cold winter months when not much else is around.
Here is a statement that explains how to distinguish between the American bittersweet and the Oriental bittersweet (besides the thorns):
"Another way to distinguish between American and oriental types is by discerning the location of their berries: the berries of American bittersweet plants appear at the tips of the vines only, while those of the oriental type grow along the vine."
I really found this note interesting as I had not idea this plant was so rare but i live in Florida and this plant is not plentiful in my area.
"American bittersweet plant is becoming so rare in some areas that it is now a protected species."
Here is a very interesting article that discusses the good and bad of both plants and what can be done if it needs to be killed in some area.
www.thespruce.com/
It is possible the Oriental bittersweet is not considered a menace on the island you are talking about (since you say it is remote) but someone from your ministry of agriculture could tell you this.
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