Ampelopsis brevipedunculata (Maxim.) Trautv.

Porcelain berry, Amur peppervine, porcelain-berry

About plant names...

Porcelain berry fascinates me, with its profusion of variously-colored berries looking just a little too much like a variety of pebble-shaped rock candy I enjoyed as a child. It is native to China, Korea, Japan and Russian Far East. It was introduced to North America, where it has become naturalized. Unfortunately it is a very vigorous grower, and is considered invasive in many locales. It prefers rich, moist soils.

Plants: Plants are deciduous woody perennial vines, resembling grapes in vine and leaf structure and sheer vitality. It grows to 15-20' (4.6-6.1 m) in size. Young twigs are hairy. If you cut a branch in half, the interior styrofoam-like pith is white. Porcelaln berry bark does not peel, while grape bark does.

Leaves: Leaves are alternate, simple, with 3 (sometimes 5) lobes that are further divided and coarsely toothed, up to 5" (12 cm) long. They are dark green, and shiny beneath, with hairs on the leaf veins. Non-adhesive tendrils at the base of each leaf permit it to climb over other plants. Leaf stems are hairy.

Flowers: Insignificant flat-topped clusters of tiny greenish-white flowers appear in June-August.

Fruits: Fruits are berries in an amazing range of pastel or sometimes deeper colors: green, blue, purple, pink, white or yellow, with black or brown speckles. The colors occur together on the same plant, and even in the same cluster, and they mature to a bright turquoise blue. Berries are ⅛-¼" (4-8 mm) in diameter.

Edibility: Leaves and stems can be cooked, and the fruit can be eaten raw or cooked. It is not very palatable.

Online References:

Plants.ces.ncsu.edu

The Plant Conservation Alliance’s Alien Plant Working Group Least Wanted List

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Endangered Species list

Plants for a Future, a resource and information centre for edible and otherwise useful plants

The University of Massachusetts Landscape, Nursery & Urban Forestry Program

9/8/2017 · Bates Land and Blackman Land, Groton Conservation Trust, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 5 × 3½" (13 × 9.2 cm)

9/8/2017 · Bates Land and Blackman Land, Groton Conservation Trust, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 5 × 4" (12 × 10 cm)

9/8/2017 · Bates Land and Blackman Land, Groton Conservation Trust, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 7 × 4½" (17 × 12 cm)

10/6/2016 · Bates Land and Blackman Land, Gr, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts

7/29/2023 · Mt Vernon Trail, along Potomac River

Ampelopsis brevipedunculata description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 25 May 2020.

© FloraFinder.org. All rights reserved.

9/1/2018 · Bates Land and Blackman Land, Groton Conservation Trust, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 8 × 5" (20 × 13 cm)

9/1/2018 · Bates Land and Blackman Land, Groton Conservation Trust, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 8 × 5" (20 × 13 cm)

10/6/2016 · Bates Land and Blackman Land, Gr, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts

9/18/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 4½ × 7" (11 × 17 cm)

10/6/2016 · Bates Land and Blackman Land, Gr, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts

9/8/2017 · Bates Land and Blackman Land, Groton Conservation Trust, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 5 × 3" (12 × 8.1 cm)

9/1/2018 · Bates Land and Blackman Land, Groton Conservation Trust, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 8 × 5" (19 × 12 cm)

10/6/2016 · Bates Land and Blackman Land, Gr, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts

9/18/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts
≈ 8 × 5" (19 × 13 cm)

10/6/2016 · Bates Land and Blackman Land, Gr, Groton, Mass­a­chu­setts

Range: Zones 4-8:

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