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Native alternative(s) for Euonymus fortunei var. radicans:
Apios americana Form
Clematis virginiana White four petaled flowers
Lonicera sempervirens Lonicera sempervirens
Parthenocissus quinquefolia wild form - new growth
Plants that fill a similar niche:
Ligustrum lucidum Mature form in flower
Ligustrum sinense Ligustrum sinense
Nandina domestica Growing Form
Euonymus fortunei var. radicans has some other problems:
6. Weeds
Weed Management

Euonymus fortunei var. radicans

Previously known as:

  • Euonymus fortunei
Phonetic Spelling
yoo-ON-ih-mus for-TOO-nee-eye
This plant has low severity poison characteristics.
See below
This plant is an invasive species in North Carolina
Description

Wintercreeper euonymus is a dense, woody-stemmed, broadleaf evergreen to semi-evergreen invasive shrub that comes in a variety of forms. It may appear as a trailing ground cover, a mounding shrub or a climbing vine.  Anywhere the stems touch the ground this plant can root and it easily becomes weedy choking out native plants.  If you choose to cultivate this plant be sure to keep it out of naturalized areas. There are variegated cultivars are available. It tolerates being planted near black walunt trees. In nature, the plant can often be found in woods and thickets in the low mountains of its native Japan.

A number of plants in this genus are poisonous and caution is advised. Avoid eating any parts of this plant in large quantities. The berries in particular should not be eaten by humans. The berries are eaten by some birds which is how the plant is spread and often how it becomes more invasive.

The leaves are semi-evergreen to evergreen and do not display fall leaf color. Variegated, colored and green cultivars are available, with non-green forms tending to revert to green. The long lasting fall berries have orange aril (pulp), however. Adult plants have unremarkable small quarter inch flowers in the spring, usually greenish-white.

Wintercreeper euonymus prefers full sun to medium shade, moist to dry-mesic conditions, and soil containing loam, clay-loam, sand, and gravelly material. It tolerates heavy shade, is pH adaptable, and is easily transplanted from woody cuttings and tolerates a variety of soils other than wet ground.

Insects Diseases, and Other Plant Problems:  Scale and winter leaf burn can be a problem. Susceptible to anthracnose, powdery mildew, aphids, and crown gall.  It requires protection from winter sun and wind as cold winds can "burn" foliage. It can spread aggressively into lawns or adjacent garden areas or can climb adjacent structures.  This plant is frequently damaged by deer. It is listed as invasive by the NC Invasive Plant Council. See native alternatives to the left.

The Clemson Cooperative Extension Home & Garden Information Center has a factsheet on common pests and diseases.

 

More information on Euonymus fortunei.

See this plant in the following landscape:
Cultivars / Varieties:
  • 'Albo Marginatus'
  • 'Aurea Marginatus'
  • 'Coloratus'
  • 'Emerald Beauty'
  • 'Emerald Leader'
'Albo Marginatus', 'Aurea Marginatus', 'Coloratus', 'Emerald Beauty', 'Emerald Leader'
Tags:
#evergreen#invasive#poisonous#high maintenance#fast growing#aggressive#attractive leaves#disturbed areas#weed
 
Cultivars / Varieties:
  • 'Albo Marginatus'
  • 'Aurea Marginatus'
  • 'Coloratus'
  • 'Emerald Beauty'
  • 'Emerald Leader'
'Albo Marginatus', 'Aurea Marginatus', 'Coloratus', 'Emerald Beauty', 'Emerald Leader'
Tags:
#evergreen#invasive#poisonous#high maintenance#fast growing#aggressive#attractive leaves#disturbed areas#weed
  • Attributes:
    Genus:
    Euonymus
    Species:
    fortunei
    Family:
    Celastraceae
    Life Cycle:
    Perennial
    Woody
    Recommended Propagation Strategy:
    Seed
    Stem Cutting
    Country Or Region Of Origin:
    East Asia, China, Japan, and Korea.
    Distribution:
    Introduced to the Eastern United States.
    Wildlife Value:
    birds are attracted to the seeds in the fall.
    Play Value:
    Attractive Flowers
    Wildlife Food Source
    Climbing Method:
    Twining
    Edibility:
    Toxic when ingested in large quantities.
    Dimensions:
    Height: 3 ft. 0 in. - 5 ft. 0 in.
    Width: 3 ft. 0 in. - 6 ft. 0 in.
  • Whole Plant Traits:
    Plant Type:
    Ground Cover
    Poisonous
    Shrub
    Vine
    Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
    Broadleaf Evergreen
    Semi-evergreen
    Habit/Form:
    Climbing
    Dense
    Mounding
    Multi-stemmed
    Spreading
    Growth Rate:
    Rapid
    Maintenance:
    High
    Texture:
    Medium
  • 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
    Shallow Rocky
    Soil pH:
    Acid (<6.0)
    Alkaline (>8.0)
    Neutral (6.0-8.0)
    Soil Drainage:
    Good Drainage
    Moist
    Occasionally Dry
    Available Space To Plant:
    3 feet-6 feet
    NC Region:
    Coastal
    Mountains
    Piedmont
    USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
    5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b
  • Fruit:
    Fruit Color:
    Gold/Yellow
    Orange
    Pink
    Fruit Value To Gardener:
    Showy
    Display/Harvest Time:
    Fall
    Fruit Type:
    Capsule
    Fruit Length:
    < 1 inch
    Fruit Width:
    < 1 inch
    Fruit Description:
    Fruit is a reddish, pink, ivory to yellow capsule splitting and showing orange-red seeds. Fertile flowers are replaced by seed capsules that become mature during the autumn. Mature seed capsules are white, globoid, and about ¼ inch across. Eventually, they split open to reveal fleshy arils that are orange to red; solitary seeds occurs within these arils.
  • Flowers:
    Flower Color:
    Gold/Yellow
    Green
    White
    Flower Inflorescence:
    Cyme
    Insignificant
    Flower Value To Gardener:
    Fragrant
    Showy
    Flower Bloom Time:
    Summer
    Flower Shape:
    Dome
    Star
    Flower Petals:
    4-5 petals/rays
    Flower Size:
    < 1 inch
    Flower Description:
    Insignificant 4-parted, greenish maroon flowers. The flower is about 1/4 inch with four petals which may be dome shaped or flat. Flowers develop from the axils of mature leaves; their peduncles (basal stalks) are up to 4" long, while their pedicels are up to ½" long. Both peduncles and pedicels are light green, hairless, and terete. The blooming period occurs during the summer for about 3 weeks.
  • Leaves:
    Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
    Broadleaf Evergreen
    Semi-evergreen
    Leaf Color:
    Gray/Silver
    Green
    White
    Leaf Feel:
    Leathery
    Leaf Type:
    Simple
    Leaf Arrangement:
    Opposite
    Leaf Shape:
    Elliptical
    Oblong
    Ovate
    Leaf Margin:
    Serrate
    Hairs Present:
    No
    Leaf Length:
    1-3 inches
    Leaf Description:
    1 1/2 to 2 inch shiny, leathery, opposite dark green leaves; distinctly serrate. Leaves occur at intervals along the young shoots; densely distributed and rather leathery in texture. The leaf tips are acute to blunt, while the leaf bases are rounded, truncate, or cuneate (wedge-shaped). The upper side of leaves is medium to dark green, hairless, and usually shiny, while the lower side of leaves is more pale, hairless, and dull. On shoots with immature leaves, the leaves are often conspicuously whitened along the central and lateral veins; flowers and fruits are not produced on such shoots. On shoots with mature leaves, the leaves are less whitened or green along the central and lateral veins; these shoots usually produce flowers and fruits.
  • Bark:
    Bark Color:
    Dark Brown
    Dark Gray
    Bark Description:
    Gray-brown, thin, initially smooth.
  • Stem:
    Stem Color:
    Green
    Red/Burgundy
    Stem Is Aromatic:
    No
    Stem Form:
    Zig Zags
    Stem Surface:
    Smooth (glabrous)
    Stem Description:
    Older branches become reddish brown, rough-textured, and woody, while young shoots are green, terete, glabrous, and rather stiff.
  • Landscape:
    Attracts:
    Bees
    Songbirds
    Resistance To Challenges:
    Black Walnut
    Salt
    Problems:
    Invasive Species
    Poisonous to Humans
    Weedy
  • Poisonous to Humans:
    Poison Severity:
    Low
    Poison Symptoms:
    Toxic if eaten in large quantities. Can cause vomiting, diarrhea, weakness, chills, coma, and convulsions.
    Poison Toxic Principle:
    Unidentified, possibly a glycoside
    Causes Contact Dermatitis:
    No
    Poison Part:
    Bark
    Flowers
    Fruits
    Leaves
    Roots
    Sap/Juice
    Seeds
    Stems