Wordless Wednesday – Berries or Jewels?

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The Porcelain Berry Vine, Ampelopsis brevipedunculata, produces clusters of the prettiest, multi-coloured, speckled berries in the autumn.


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The berries start out green/white, but subsequently turn a wonderful range of colours inluding: pink, lavender, amethyst, turquoise and blue as they ripen. The berries are loved by squirrels and birds …. and therein lies a problem, because it can be invasive. It is recognised as a ecological threat in several American states.


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It’s a great climber, making dense cover, which in turn results in an ability to swamp and shade out native vegetation. Its invasiveness doesn’t seem to be a problem in the UK, where it can be shy to flower and form fruit. This successful example is growing on a sunny wall of the Sainsbury Laboratory (at the back of the research plots) in Cambridge Botanic Gardens.

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About Frogend_dweller

Living in the damp middle of nowhere
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5 Responses to Wordless Wednesday – Berries or Jewels?

  1. susurrus says:

    Wow – these are amazing! I’ve never seen them before. They’re like pearls dressed up for a party.

  2. shoreacres says:

    These remind me of our peppervine. It happens to be native, but its berries go through a similar, though less dramatic, transformation, turning from green to pink, red, and finally black.

  3. Cathy says:

    Some of those berries resemble birds’ eggs, don’t you think. Very pretty, and completely new to me! 😃

  4. Eliza Waters says:

    Wow, they look like Easter egg candies! It’s too bad they are invasive. Wicked little pretties!

  5. That would be a treat in any garden especially if managed. Beautiful berries.

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