History in the United States

Porcelain-berry was originally cultivated around the 1870s as a bedding and landscape plant. In spite of its aggressiveness in some areas, it is still used in the horticultural trade (for example, the ornamental A. brevipedunculata 'Elegans' is often recommended as a landscape plant with a cautionary note that "care must be taken to keep it from overtaking and shading out small plants"). The same characteristics that make porcelain-berry a desirable plant for the garden -- its colorful berries, good ground coverage, trellis-climbing vines, pest-resistance, and tolerance of adverse conditions -- are responsible for its presence in the United States as an undesirable invader.