The leaves are opposite and somewhat roundish. The leaf margins are toothed and the leaftip is pointed to rounded. The berries (fruit) grow in clusters of 3-7 in the axilof the leaf. Female flowers (not shown) also grow next to each leaf axil. The fruit has a yellow covering (see picture). This covering splits open in the Fall to reveal the red berry.
A similar species, American Bittersweet (Celastrus scandens) has female flowersand fruit in terminal panicles (clusters) at the end of the stem (not in each leaf axil).The fruit covering tends to be more orange for American Bittersweet. Finally, the leafshape for American Bittersweet tends to be less round, but that is not a reliable wayto differentiate the species.
The berries are bitter-tasting and not edible for humans.
