Celastrus

a genus of plants of the family Celastraceae. The plants are mostly usually twining, climbing, or prostrate shrubs with simple leaves. The small, inconspicuous flowers are five-parted and gathered in racemes, panicles, or small axillary clusters; rarely are the flowers solitary. The fruit is a three-valved capsule. The mature seeds are surrounded by a brightly colored fleshy aril that attracts birds.

There are more than 30 species, distributed in Asia, Australia, Madagascar, and Central and South America. The USSR has three Far Eastern species: C. orbiculata, a spreading or twining shrub reaching 10–15 m in length; C. flagellaris, a liana that measures 8–12 m in length and climbs trees by means of stipules converted into hooklike thorns; and C. strigillosus, a twining shrub. The plants are especially decorative in the fall owing to the bright color of their fruits; they are used as vertical ornamentals.