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Burning Bush

Burning Bush

What is burning bush?

  • (Euonymus altaus)

    Other common names: Winged euonymus, winged spindle-tree

    Burning bush is a medium to large shrub commonly planted in urban settings. It spreads mainly by seeds, forming dense thickets in fields and forests and crowding out important native vegetation. It also disrupts the food web by reducing food for herbivores, including insects.

     

Identify

  • What to look for

    • Medium to large (5-20 feet tall), deciduous, often round-shaped, multi-stemmed shrub.
    • Stems start green (or red in direct sunlight) and fade to brown; many stems have multiple brown corky ridges, especially as the plant ages, though some escaped plants do not.
    • Leaves are pointed ovals and finely serrated. They are dark green in summer and often bright red in fall.
    • Flowers are hard to notice, but fruits are reddish-brown leathery capsules that split open in late summer to show the bright orange, fleshy aril. 
  • A closeup of a burning bush's red leaves and small, orange fruit.

    Leaf and fruit

    Burning bush leaves are known for their red fall color. Note the fruit's orange arils have emerged from their brown capsules.

  • A burning bush twig showing its ridges or wings made of thin, corky material.

    Twig

    Stems mature from green to brown and sometimes have ridges, as shown above.

  • Burning bush plants with green leaves growing in a mature forest in front of large tree trunks.

    In the wild

    Burning bush can spread by seed into forests or other areas with open soil, displacing native plants.

Common look-alikes

  • American wahoo (Euonymus atropurpureus) – Native. Stems lack corky ridges. Leaf margins are smooth without serration. Leaves are fuzzy underneath and lack bold fall color. Fruits have pink capsules.
  • Chokeberry (Aronia prunifolia) – Native. Showy white flowers in summer. Produces juicy, dark purple fruits in clusters. Leaves are more oval but display similar brilliant fall color.
  • European spindle-tree (Euonymus europea) – Non-native. Larger leaves, fruits with pink capsules, stems may have corky ridges, but they’re often very narrow. Usually taller or more narrow form.
  • Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua) – Native to North America. Tree with star-shaped leaves but may have winged stems as a sapling.
 

Report

  • To report suspected burning-bush: 

    Note the location of the suspected burning-bush and be sure to include at least one photo of the plant to help with verification.

     

Species information

  • Habitat

    Commonly planted in formal landscapes, burning bush most often escapes into forests and forest edges, particularly in hardwood-dominated areas. It prefers full or part sun and moist soil but can tolerate full shade, wet soils and drought.

    Range

    Native range: Burning bush is native to northeastern Asia, including Japan and central China.

    U.S. distribution: Found escaped from cultivation throughout the eastern United States, particularly in woodlands near plantings but ranging further as the seeds are spread by wildlife. View the EDDMapS distribution map for burning bush.

    Michigan distribution: First collected outside of cultivation in 1980 in Berrien County, this shrub is becoming established in forests and fields throughout Michigan. View the MISIN distribution map of burning bush observations.

    Local concern

    Burning bush outcompetes native plants and can create thickets of shrubs that aren’t part of the food web for insects, deer and other wildlife. The plant is toxic to many animals, particularly in large quantities.  

    How it spreads

    Originally introduced as an ornamental landscape planting, burning bush spreads mainly by seeds, both nearby, creating thickets, and at longer distance when carried by birds.

     

Additional information