"Scott Ranger" wrote in
message . ..

"Ed" wrote in message
...
Could someone please help me identify this plant...

http://www.user.shentel.net/eddie180/FP/100_0846e.jpg

This is a viney plant in an arboretum in Northern Virginia growing
on a tree. We thought it might be mistletoe, but it had red berries.
Its rather cold here now, but the leaves on this plant are green
and the berries fully developed.

I agree with Cereus that it is bittersweet, based upon the long leaves,
brown stems and large fruits. Euonymus have smaller leaves that are more
leathery, green stems and relatively smaller fruits.

I missed seeing the earlier bittersweet ID, but I still think this one
is a Euonymus. It's hard to tell whether the leaves in the photo are
alternate [Celastrus] or opposite [Euonymus], but this plant is pretty
clearly evergreen just as the original poster noted [and just like the
particular Euonymus species I'd suggested],

http://www.hancockwoodlands.ca/winte...ereuonymus.JPG

and not deciduous like either the native Celastrus scandens or
the introduced C. orbiculatus.

A more subtle difference is in the fruits: these Celastrus spp. have
their aril-covered seeds in a tight sphere in the center of the dehisced
fruit:

http://www.nps.gov/plants/pubs/chesapeake/plant/237.htm
http://www.kansasnativeplants.com/im...n-seed-320.jpg
http://www.mytho-fleurs.com/images/v...s%20fruits.JPG
http://www.tneppc.org/images/Exotics%20Photos/Celastrus%20PA180017%20(RKC).JPG

Whereas the plant in question here

http://www.user.shentel.net/eddie180/FP/100_0846e.jpg

very clearly has well-separated seeds dangling further out nearer
the tips of the fruit capsule lobes, as is typical of many Euonymus
spp.:

http://oncampus.richmond.edu/academi...tunei_fall.jpg
http://www.plantes-ornementales.com/...coloratus.html
http://www.nationale-plantencollecti...xyphyllus.html
http://arboretum.sfasu.edu/plants/eu...%20americanus/
http://www.npsnj.org/euonymus_americanus.htm

Besides, his photo looks a whole like the _Euonymus fortunei_ plants
that I often see growing around here.

Both are noxious weeds.

Well, just the introduced, invasive species, perhaps.

cheers