An unrecognized and underutilized native shrub is turning heads in the fall fashion world of plants.
Euonymus Americanus on the Runway
Euonymus americanus is a native deciduous perennial shrub growing 4’-6’ tall in the eastern United States from New York to Florida and west to Texas and the Ohio valley in USDA hardiness zones 5-9. As a member of the bittersweet family, it lives up to the reputation for decorative fall fruit.
The 2”-3” long dark green opposite leaves are finely toothed. In spring inconspicuous ?” wide flat greenish-yellow five petaled flowers bloom unnoticed except by bees. In fall Euonymus americanus is a stand out shrub because of the stunning pods and seeds that ornament arching green stems.
Labels for Euonymus Americanus
The eye of the beholder influences common names. Young red seedpods resemble the shape of strawberries and led to the name strawberry bush. The blood red seedpods have four chambers when they burst open revealing 3-5 pendulous orange seeds, hence the names hearts-a-burstin’-with-love and hearts-a-bursting. Burning bush refers to the profusion of red pods in fall. The derivations of other common names for Euonymus americanus like wahoo, fish wood and brook euonymous are less obvious.
Cultivating Euonymus Americanus
The shrub performs best in light shade although it tolerates full shade. The plant adapts to well-drained dry or moist slightly acidic soil rich in humus. The shrub has been used in xeriscaping. The shrub is low maintenance and doesn't succumb to euonymus scale like some of its kin.
Propagation
The shrub is propagated by seed, cuttings and clump division. Greenwood cuttings root quickly in summer and semi-hardwood cuttings are easy to propagate in fall. Seed propagation is less reliable and more time consuming because stratification in temperatures of 32° - 50°F for 90 to 120 days is required for germination. Root clumps can be divided in the dormant season to make more plants.
The shrub is available commercially from native plant nurseries like Niche Gardens, Woodlanders and Forestfarm.
Landscape Uses of Euonymus Americanus
Euonymus americanus is best displayed in a woodland setting in understory shade of larger trees and shrubs and near a path where spectators can appreciate the tiny spring flowers, flaming fall pods and winter architecture of the bark and branches.
It can be used as a natural informal hedge or in a native mixed border. The plant self-sows and naturalizes easily but not aggressively so.
The shrub is ideal for a wildlife habitat. The twigs are considered dessert by white-tailed deer. Mockingbirds, wood thrush, eastern bluebirds, yellow-rumped warblers, and wild turkeys consume and distribute the seeds. While wild animals show no signs of distress when ingesting the plant, domestic ones do. All parts of the plant are said to be toxic to humans irrespective of Native American recipes for medicinal uses.
Bring accolades to your landscape’s fall wardrobe with the native beauty of Euonymus americanus.
Sources
- Bender, Steve. “Fall in Love with this Native Shrub” The Grumpy Gardener website, October 11, 2011.
- “Euonymus americanus” USDA PlantProfile website
- “Euonymus americanus” Native Plant Database at Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center website
- Halfacre, R. Gordon. Carolina Landscape Plants. Raleigh, NC: Sparks Press, 1975.
- Kluepfel, Marjan and Bob Polomski. “Euonymus HGIC Bulletin #1063” Clemson Cooperative Extension, May 1999.
Arlene Marturano - Arlene Marturano, an educator, consultant, master gardener, and writer advocates gardens as a context and gardening as a tool for ...
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