Porcelain berry is a perennial, woody vine that can cover and shade out native plants. It gets its name from its distinctive blue and purple berries with small spots that make them look somewhat like porcelain.
Description
Appearance
Porcelain berry is a woody vine that can grow on shrubs and trees. It has deeply lobed leaves and distinctive blue/purple berries with spots. Plants can grow to lengths of more than 20 feet.
Leaves and stem
Leaves come off the stem one at a time (alternate arrangement). There can be tendrils or flowers and fruit opposite the leaves. Some leaves are more heart-shaped or maple-like and have 3-5 points. Other leaves have 3-5 points and are much more deeply incised giving the leaf deep lobes. Leaves can be 5 inches long. There are hairs on the leaf veins. There are horticultural varieties of porcelain berry that have variegated leaves with white patches.
Stems have a white pith. As the plant gets woody, its bark stays smooth. The bark does not peel off as bark does on some other woody vine species. The thick woody vines can reach up to 4 inches in diameter.
Flowers
Flowers are very small (under 1/3 of inch), greenish-white and grow in loose, upward-facing clusters. Plants flower from June through August.
Seeds
Porcelain berry produces berries that range in color from pink to purple to blue and have small spots on them, looking somewhat like porcelain. The flesh inside the berries is white. Berries are about 1/3 inch wide and contain 1-4 seeds. Berries ripen in September and October.
Roots
Porcelain berry has fibrous roots. Plants can resprout from roots.
Biology
Porcelain berry is a perennial, woody vine. It grows in a variety of habitats including moist soils and shaded areas, such as wooded areas near waterbodies. Plants reproduce by seeds.
Origin and spread
Porcelain berry is native to Asia. It was introduced to the United States in 1870 for horticultural purposes. It initially became established in the eastern U.S. as it spread from where it was planted. It has limited distribution in Minnesota and so can be considered a species for early detection and rapid response. Birds and other animals can eat the berries and disperse the plant.
Refer to EDDMapS Distribution Maps for current distribution.
Don't be fooled by these look-alikes
- Wild grape, Vitis riparia (native) – Wild grape bark sheds in vertical strips while porcelain berry’s does not. Wild grape fruits look like grapes and do not have the spots like porcelain berry. Wild grape leaves do not get as deeply lobed as porcelain berry leaves.
- Virginia creeper, Parthenocissus quinquefolia (native) and woodbine, Parthenocissus vitacea (native) – Their leaves are made up of 5 leaflets that are arranged in a circle while porcelain berry has lobed leaves, but the leaves are not divided up into separate leaflets.
- Hooked hair hops, Humulus japonicus (invasive) - Hops plants do not produce berries, but produce cone-like bracts distinctive to hops. Hooked hair hops stems are covered in bristly, hooked hairs while porcelain berry stems are smooth. Hooked hair hops is annual and dies back at the end of each year while porcelain berry is perennial and woody.
- Common hops, Humulus lupulus (native) (native lookalike on page 78 in Minnesota Department of Transportation Noxious Weed Booklet) – Hops plants do not produce berries, but its fruit is made of cone-like bracts distinctive to hops. Common hops has a papery bract (a small, modified leaf) where each leaf stalk attaches to the stem.
Regulatory classification
Porcelain berry is a Minnesota Department of Agriculture Restricted Noxious Weed meaning it is illegal to import, sell, or transport.
Threat to Minnesota
- The vines can form dense mats that can cover other plants and shade them out. Monocultures of porcelain berry reduce native diversity.
- It can serve as an alternative host for the plant disease bacterial leaf scorch (Xylella fastidiosa).
What you should do
One way that invasive plant seeds and fragments can spread is in soil. Sometimes plants are planted purposefully. You can prevent the spread of invasive plants.
PlayCleanGo: Stop Invasive Species in Your Tracks
- REMOVE plants, animals and mud from boots, gear, pets and vehicles.
- CLEAN your gear before entering and leaving the recreation site.
- STAY on designated roads and trails.
- PLANT non-invasive species.
Native substitutes
- Wild grape (Vitis riparia)
- American (climbing) bittersweet (Celastrus scandens)
- Virgin’s bower (Clematis virginiana)
Control methods
Mechanical control can be done by pulling the plant by hand or with equipment such as a shovel. After removal, monitor the area and remove any re-sprouts. View the Minnesota Department of Agriculture noxious weed disposal website for additional information regarding plant disposal. Use caution if the plants are entangled in trees as pulling on the vine could cause a branch to fall on you or damage the tree. In this case, consider cutting the vine just above the ground and applying herbicide to the cut stump; do not try to pull the vine out of the tree.
Herbicide control can be done using systemic herbicides containing glyphosate or triclopyr. Systemic herbicides are taken up by plants and move within the plant, which can kill leaves, stems, and roots. Apply herbicide to the leaves during the growing season (May through October). Plants can also be treated by cutting the stem and applying herbicide to the cut stem.
Reporting
Report new occurrences by submitting a report through EDDMapS, emailing Report a Pest, calling Report a Pest (1-888-545-6684), or contacting your local county agricultural inspector.
Resources
- Identification and management of porcelain berry (Minnesota Department of Agriculture)
- Identification and management of porcelain berry (Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources) Identification and management of Minnesota Noxious Weeds (MN Department of Transportation)