Porcelain berry in full fall color [View all]

[Mousetoescamper]

A beautiful and invasive vine, Porcelain berry (Ampelopsis brevipedunculata) has fruits that turn brilliant blue when they mature in the fall. This vine is growing on my neighbor's chain link fence.

Native to Japan and Northern China, porcelain berry was imported to the United States in 1870 to be used as an ornamental and landscape plant. The same characteristics that made this a desirable landscape plant for the home gardener and landscaper—low maintenance and easy to grow, and colorful berries—are the same characteristics that make it quickly invasive and difficult to eradicate. Ranked as a severe threat on Pennsylvania’s invasive species list, porcelain berry can quickly spread into native plant communities, displacing the native vegetation. In ideal growing conditions, a single plant in a single growing season can reach 20 to 25 feet long. It will cling to supporting structures, such as fences, trellises, or shrubs and trees, using tendrils. Stems commonly twine around each other, as do the supporting structures. Plants will climb up and over other vegetation, blocking access to light. If it is allowed to grow on trees and shrubs, it can shade out younger plants and leave older growth more vulnerable to storm damage. https://extension.psu.edu/porcelain-berry-an-unwanted-beauty