yardener logo - click to go to home page
Yardener's Advisor Newsletter: Sign In / Subscribe


Search Yardener

  • Home
  • Find Info
    • Plant Helper
    • Plant And Pest Problem Solver
    • Toolshed of Products
    • Buy Books And Videos By Jeff Ball
    • Watch Yardening Videos By Jeff Ball
    • Nancy's Blog
    • About Us
  • Ask Nancy! (Free Q&A)
    • Ask A Question For Free!
    • View A List Of Answered Questions
  • Free Monthly Newsletter Subscription!
    • Sign Up
    • About
  • Free Videos
  • Want To Help Us?

    • 1) Join Our Team!
    • 2) Donate Via PayPal

    • 3) Share Yardener
  • Looking For Products?
    • 1) Shop At amazon.com logo

Home Page > Yardener's Plant Helper > Landscape Plant Files > Files About Shrubs > Shrub Files > Euonymus > Burning Bush

Burning Bush

Winged Euonymus (Euonymus alata)

The Winged Euonymus (yew-ON-a-muss),also called Burning Bush, comes from northeastern Asia and is justly famed for its scarlet autumn foliage. One of the hardiest of the euonymus shrubs, winged euonymus is deciduous, losing its leaves in the fall. Its branches carry distinctive corky "wings", or ridges, making this shrub all the more interesting when the leaves have fallen. The winged growth habit persists for about 9 to 10 years. As a bonus, winged euonymus is practically immune to attacks of the major euonymus pest, scale.
Winged euonymus typically grows as tall as 15 to feet, spreading nearly as wide, if not wider, as it is tall. A dwarf variety,`Compacta', grows to less than 6 ft. Winged euonymus is a moderately slow grower. Winged euonymus' yellowish-green flowers are unobtrusive. Appearing in May to early June, they cluster 3 on a stalk. In their place in the fall small fruits in pink hanging pods appear. The birds like the seeds, but they are reputed to be poisonous to humans.
Winged euonymus leaves are 1 to 3 inches long, 1 to 1-1/2 inches wide, and are arranged opposite one another on the branches. They are shaped like pointed elongated ovals and their edges are gently toothed. They are smooth on top, slightly downy underneath. Dark green in season, these leaves turn bright scarlet red in the fall in the midwest and south as well as in the north. Like its fruits, euonymus leaves are reputed to be poisonous. After they fall this shrub's lovely green-brown stems with their distinctive wings show attractively in the landscape, especially after a snowfall.

Better Varieties
`Compacta': Grows 6 feet high, spreads to 6 feet wide. May reach 4 feet in height in 7 years; `Monstrosa': A more vigorous-growing form of the winged euonymus.

  • read more:
  • Using Winged Euonymus
  • Planting Winged Euonymus
  • Caring for Winged Euonymus
  • Problems of Winged Euonymus

The following questions were asked by visitors who viewed this page:
  • Dwarf Winged Euonymus Is Thin And Leaves Are Browning And Falling Off
see all questions...

Do you have a gardening question? Ask Nancy



Our Privacy Policy       Contact Us

©2003-2022 Yardener.com, All Rights Reserved
YARDENER is a registered service mark
copyright material is protected by copyscape.com, do not copy our content without permission