Resources
Callery Pear Buyback 2024

Callery Pear Buyback 2024

Thanks to all who made our 2024 Buyback possible! Read a summary about this past event here. Registration and Sign-Up The Missouri Invasive Plant Council (MoIP), in partnership with Forest ReLeaf of Missouri, Forrest Keeling Nursery, and the Missouri Department of...

Pear Buyback 2023

Pear Buyback 2023

We wanted to take a moment and thank everyone who made the 2023 Pear Buyback possible. Because of you, we were able to remove hundreds of invasive Callery (Bradford) Pear trees all over Missouri! This is no small feat. This year, we had a total of nine sites around...

Invasive to Watch This Season

Round leaf (Oriental) bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus) is a perennial deciduous, climbing, woody vine that can grow to lengths of 60 feet and up to 4 inches in diameter. The striated bark is brown to dark brown. The smooth twigs can range from light gray to dark brown. The alternate, elliptical to rounded leaves are light green and 2-5 inches long. Small, inconspicuous, axillary, greenish white flowers bloom from May to early June. Small, round fruits are green when young; ripen to yellow; then split to reveal showy, scarlet berries that persist into winter. Celastrus orbiculatus is often found in old home sites, fields, and road edges. The fast-growing vines can cover, shade, and outcompete other vegetation, and even girdle and kill large trees.