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Questions and Answers: 2015

Question: More of a how-to question here: How do I tell apart the stalk of an asian bittersweet from a wisteria? …

• Question

  More of a how-to question here: How do I tell apart the stalk of an asian bittersweet from a wisteria? I have a trellis with a white wisteria on it, but the bittersweet has invaded. I want to stop the the bittersweet and leave the wisteria. Is the bittersweet a coarser trunk than the wisteria? Location of the trellis in in Haverhill MA. Thanks!

  Answer

  Dear petenh, I would use details of the winter buds or simply wait for the lianas to leaf out and follow down the stems to identify which to remove from the trellis. However, I will assume that is not easily possible. It is very difficult for me to describe the bark of these two species in words, especially because it changes as they age (i.e., both species have different bark on the younger vs. older parts of the plants). I would encourage you to do a image search on the web for "celastrus orbiculatus bark" and "wisteria bark" and carefully study the images. Best of luck with your project.