Burning Bush Euonymus alatus
Other Common Name(s):
Other plants called Burning Bush:
- Phonetic Spelling
- yoo-ON-ih-mus a-LAY-tus
- This plant has low severity poison characteristics.
- See below
- This plant is an invasive species in North Carolina
- Description
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This plant is problematic and alternatives should be considered. Please see the suggestions in the left-hand column.
Burning bush is a woody, deciduous, multi-stemmed, mounded shrub that grows 15 to 20 feet tall and wide. It is native in southern Siberia to East Asia, Japan and China, and invasive in North Carolina. The common name burning bush comes from the bright red fall leaf color, and the specific epithet means “winged,” referring to the corky outgrowths of the plant’s stems.
It grows in partial shade to full sun in woodland edges, forests, mixed deciduous forests, on roadsides, disturbed areas and any open area where it may expand into a dense grove. It is a prolific seeder and may also reproduce by stem cutting.
The spring flowers are insignificant, but the red fall berries are showy and are consumed by birds and deer, which helps the plant spread beyond cultivated garden areas. Aggressive growth enables it to outcompete other plants. Its invasive tendency has been noted in multiple midwestern and eastern states from Connecticut to South Carolina and west to Wisconsin.
To control small infestations of burning bush, pull up young plants by hand and use a hoe or root-wrenching tool for large plants. For larger infestations, an herbicide can be applied to the foliage or the stump immediately upon cutting.
Insects, Diseases and Other Plant Problems: Spider mites, twig blight. It is listed as invasive by the NC Invasive Plant Council. Consider noninvasive shrubs in the Euonymus genus for your home landscape.
The Clemson Cooperative Extension Home & Garden Information Center has a factsheet on common pests and diseases.
VIDEO created by Andy Pulte for “Landscape Plant Identification, Taxonomy and Morphology,” a plant identification course offered by the Department of Plant Sciences, University of Tennessee.
- Profile Video:
- See this plant in the following landscapes:
- Mountain Ridge Top Garden - North Lawn and Upper Drive Border Children's Secret Garden at Wilson Botanical Gardens
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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'Compactus'
- 'Odum'
AKA, Little Moses. Dwarf variety, 3 1/2 feet tall. Fiery red foliage. - 'Rudy Haag'
Dwarf cultivar, 3 to 5 ft. high. Slow growth. Hard to find.
Compact variety, 4 to 10 feet high. Bright red color in the fall. - 'Odum'
- 'Compactus', 'Odum', 'Rudy Haag'
- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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'Compactus'
- 'Odum'
AKA, Little Moses. Dwarf variety, 3 1/2 feet tall. Fiery red foliage. - 'Rudy Haag'
Dwarf cultivar, 3 to 5 ft. high. Slow growth. Hard to find.
Compact variety, 4 to 10 feet high. Bright red color in the fall. - 'Odum'
- 'Compactus', 'Odum', 'Rudy Haag'
- Tags:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Euonymus
- Species:
- alatus
- Family:
- Celastraceae
- Life Cycle:
- Woody
- Recommended Propagation Strategy:
- Seed
- Stem Cutting
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- South Siberia to East Asia, Japan and China.
- Distribution:
- Throughout the eastern and central United States.
- Wildlife Value:
- Fruit attracts birds who eat the seeds and distribute them. The fall berries are eaten by birds, and the seeds are easily spread. It is attractive to deer. Host plant to many types of beetle.
- Play Value:
- Wildlife Food Source
- Particularly Resistant To (Insects/Diseases/Other Problems):
- Range of soil types; drought tolerant
- Edibility:
- Use caution. Many species of this genus are toxic to humans.
- Dimensions:
- Height: 15 ft. 0 in. - 20 ft. 0 in.
- Width: 15 ft. 0 in. - 20 ft. 0 in.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Perennial
- Poisonous
- Shrub
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Habit/Form:
- Dense
- Erect
- Horizontal
- Mounding
- Multi-stemmed
- Multi-trunked
- Rounded
- Spreading
- Growth Rate:
- Medium
- Maintenance:
- High
- Texture:
- Medium
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
- Soil Texture:
- Clay
- High Organic Matter
- Loam (Silt)
- Sand
- Soil pH:
- Acid (<6.0)
- Alkaline (>8.0)
- Neutral (6.0-8.0)
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- Moist
- Occasionally Dry
- Available Space To Plant:
- 6-feet-12 feet
- 12-24 feet
- NC Region:
- Coastal
- Piedmont
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Cream/Tan
- Gold/Yellow
- Orange
- Pink
- Red/Burgundy
- Fruit Value To Gardener:
- Showy
- Display/Harvest Time:
- Fall
- Fruit Type:
- Berry
- Capsule
- Fruit Length:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Width:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Description:
- Small 1/2 inch long, red, fleshy fruit ripens in fall within a red capsule. This red, pink, ivory to yellow capsule splits to show orange-red seeds in the fall that are attractive to birds. The fall berries are eaten by birds, and the seeds are easily spread by birds. An obovoid, dehiscent capsule; single seed enclosed in orange-red aril.
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Gold/Yellow
- Green
- Red/Burgundy
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Cyme
- Insignificant
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Spring
- Flower Petals:
- 4-5 petals/rays
- Flower Size:
- < 1 inch
- Flower Description:
- This plant has non-showy, small 4-petaled greenish-maroon flowers. A 3-flowered cyme, axillary. Yellow-green, 4-petaled, 1/2 inch long and 1/3 inch wide.
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Leaves:
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Leaf Color:
- Green
- Leaf Value To Gardener:
- Showy
- Deciduous Leaf Fall Color:
- Red/Burgundy
- Leaf Type:
- Simple
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Opposite
- Leaf Shape:
- Cuneate
- Elliptical
- Obovate
- Ovate
- Leaf Margin:
- Crenate
- Serrate
- Hairs Present:
- No
- Leaf Length:
- 1-3 inches
- Leaf Width:
- < 1 inch
- Leaf Description:
- This plant has elliptic to obovate, crenulate to serrulate, opposite to sub-opposite, simple leaves that are 1 to 3 inches long and 1/2 to 1 inch wide, and medium to dark green. They can be finely serrated. Leaves provide excellent red fall color.
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Bark:
- Bark Color:
- Dark Brown
- Dark Gray
- Surface/Attachment:
- Furrowed
- Bark Description:
- The bark of large old stems is gray or brownish gray and slightly furrowed.
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Stem:
- Stem Color:
- Brown/Copper
- Green
- Red/Burgundy
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
- Stem Cross Section:
- Round
- Stem Form:
- Zig Zags
- Stem Surface:
- Corky Ridges
- Stem Description:
- Green to greenish-brown, alate with 2-4 prominate, corky wings 1/4-1/2" wide, new growth is reddish-green.
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Landscape:
- Attracts:
- Bees
- Songbirds
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Black Walnut
- Compaction
- Drought
- Erosion
- Problems:
- Invasive Species
- Poisonous to Humans
- Problem for Children
- Weedy
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Poisonous to Humans:
- Poison Severity:
- Low
- Poison Symptoms:
- Poisonous through ingestion. Poisonous symptoms: abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, convulsions, weakness, chills, and coma. TOXIC ONLY IF LARGE QUANTITIES EATEN. Ingesting large amounts of any part of the plant can result in poisoning. CHILDREN may be attracted to fruits in fall. No part of this plant is edible, including seeds: All parts are poisonous.
- Poison Toxic Principle:
- Unidentified, possibly a glycoside
- Causes Contact Dermatitis:
- No
- Poison Part:
- Bark
- Flowers
- Fruits
- Leaves
- Roots
- Sap/Juice
- Seeds
- Stems
