Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Rosids: Fabids: Celastrales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Euonymus alatus
FAMILY
Celastraceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Check out EDDMapS.org to see where this has been reported.
Read more about Winged Burning Bush at Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Euonymus alatus
FAMILY
Celastraceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America
Euonymus alatus
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Euonymus alata
COMMON NAME:
Burning-bush, Winged Euonymus, Winged Wahoo
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
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JK Marlow jkm190418_7505
April Greenville County SC
Axillary pairs of small flowers at the ends of a Y-shaped 1" stem, per A Field Guide for the Identification of Invasive Plants in Southern Forests (Miller, Chambliss, & Lowenstein, 2010).
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JK Marlow jkm140601_274
May Greenville County SC
Swamp Rabbit Trail
First reported for NC (in Jackson Co.) in 1988, now widespread in the state, per Weakley's Flora (2022).
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JK Marlow jkm140601_275
May Greenville County SC
Swamp Rabbit Trail
)
JK Marlow jkm140604_444
June Greenville County SC
Swamp Rabbit Trail
)
JK Marlow jkm140625_343
June Greenville County SC
Cleveland Park
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JK Marlow jkm071108_014
November Pickens County SC
SC Botanical Garden
Leaves thin, only 1-2" long; margins finely crenate; tips acute, per Nonnative Invasive Plants of Southern Forests (Miller, 2003).
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JK Marlow jkm071108_016
November Pickens County SC
SC Botanical Garden
Dangling axillary paired (or not) reddish capsules turn purple, split open, per Nonnative Invasive Plants of Southern Forests (Miller, 2003).
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JK Marlow jkm071108_018
November Pickens County SC
SC Botanical Garden
)
JK Marlow jkm071108_020
November Pickens County SC
SC Botanical Garden
The corky ridges of young lime-green squarish twigs become wider with age, per Nonnative Invasive Plants of Southern Forests (Miller, 2003).
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JK Marlow jkm151105_061
November Greenville County SC
In cultivation
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JK Marlow jkm151105_069
November Greenville County SC
In cultivation
)
JK Marlow jkm151105_071
November Greenville County SC
In cultivation
)
JK Marlow jkm151212_063b
December Greenville County SC
In cultivation
Dangling capsules turn purple & split to reveal orange fleshy-covered seeds, per A Field Guide for the Identification of Invasive Plants in Southern Forests (Miller, Chambliss, & Lowenstein, 2010).
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JK Marlow jkm151212_063c
December Greenville County SC
In cultivation
Terminal bud present; bud scales imbricate, greenish or pinkish, per Woody Plants of the Southeastern US: A Winter Guide (Lance, 2004).
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Euonymus alatus
FAMILY
Celastraceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Euonymus alatus
FAMILY
Celastraceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America
Euonymus alatus
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Euonymus alata
538
Shrub
Perennial
Habitat: Suburban woodlands, becoming invasive in some areas, per Weakley's Flora
Non-native: east Asia
Uncommon in Carolina Mountains, uncommon in Piedmont of GA & NC (rare elsewhere in GA-NC-SC)
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
This plant is causing problems in natural areas outside its native range, according to authorities such as:
- Brooklyn Botanic Garden
- Georgia Exotic Pest Plant Council, 2006
- Kentucky Exotic Pest Plant Council, 2013
- SC Exotic Pest Plant Council, 2014
- SC Native Plant Society
- Tennessee Exotic Pest Plant Council, 2009
- US Fish & Wildlife Service
- US Forest Service Southern Research Station
- Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, 2014
LEAVES:
Deciduous
Simple
Opposite
FLOWER:
Spring/Summer
Greenish-yellow/ Cream
Radially symmetrical
4-merous
4 sepals
4 petals
4 stamens
Superior ovary
Bisexual
FRUIT:
Summer/Fall
Red
Capsule
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Invasive Plants, Guide to Identification, Impacts and Control (Kaufman & Kaufman, 2007) p166
- A Field Guide for the Identification of Invasive Plants in Southern Forests (Miller, Chambliss, & Lowenstein, 2010) p058
- Invasive Plants, Weeds of the Global Garden (Randall & Marinelli, 1996) p55
- Woody Plants of the Southeastern US: A Winter Guide (Lance, 2004) p136
If a search such as "Carex leptalea var. leptalea" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "Carex leptalea".
Or, to minimize chances of a misspelling, try just "Carex le".
Less is more: If "pencil flower" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "pencil".