This plant is problematic and alternatives should be considered. Please see the suggestions in the left-hand column. Burning bush is a woody, deciduous, multi-stemmed, mounded shrub that grows 15 to 20 feet tall and wide. It is native in southern Siberia to East Asia, Japan and China, and invasive in North Carolina. It is a member of the bittersweet family (Celastraceae). The common name burning bush comes from the bright red fall leaf color, and the specific epithet means “winged,” referring to the corky outgrowths of the plant’s stems. It grows in partial shade to full sun in woodland edges, forests, mixed deciduous forests, on roadsides, disturbed areas and any open area where it may expand into a dense grove. It is a prolific seeder and may also reproduce by stem cutting. The spring flowers are insignificant, but the red fall berries are showy and are consumed by birds and deer, which helps the plant spread beyond cultivated garden areas. Aggressive growth enables it to outcompete other plants. Its invasive tendency has been noted in multiple midwestern and eastern states from Connecticut to South Carolina and west to Wisconsin. To control small infestations of burning bush, pull up young plants by hand and use a hoe or root-wrenching tool for large plants. For larger infestations, an herbicide can be applied to the foliage or the stump immediately upon cutting. Insects, Diseases and Other Plant Problems : Spider mites, twig blight. It is listed as invasive by the NC Invasive Plant Council. Consider noninvasive shrubs in the Euonymus genus for your home landscape. The Clemson Cooperative Extension Home & Garden Information Center has a factsheet on common pests and diseases. VIDEO created by Andy Pulte for “Landscape Plant Identification, Taxonomy and Morphology,” a plant identification course offered by the Department of Plant Sciences, University of Tennessee. More information on Euonymus .
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
This plant has elliptic to obovate, crenulate to serrulate, opposite to sub-opposite, simple leaves that are 1 to 3 inches long and 1/2 to 1 inch wide, and medium to dark green. They can be finely serrated. Leaves provide excellent red fall color.
Fall color
Red/Burgundy
Flower color
Gold/Yellow; Green; Red/Burgundy
Flower form
Cyme; Insignificant
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
This plant has non-showy, small 4-petaled greenish-maroon flowers. A 3-flowered cyme, axillary. Yellow-green, 4-petaled, 1/2 inch long and 1/3 inch wide.
Small 1/2 inch long, red, fleshy fruit ripens in fall within a red capsule. This red, pink, ivory to yellow capsule splits to show orange-red seeds in the fall that are attractive to birds. The fall berries are eaten by birds, and the seeds are easily spread by birds. An obovoid, dehiscent capsule; single seed enclosed in orange-red aril.
Bark color
Dark Brown; Dark Gray
Bark detail
The bark of large old stems is gray or brownish gray and slightly furrowed.
Stem color
Brown/Copper; Green; Red/Burgundy
Stem detail
Green to greenish-brown, alate with 2-4 prominate, corky wings 1/4-1/2" wide, new growth is reddish-green.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Non-native
Origin
South Siberia to East Asia, Japan and China.
Distribution
Throughout the eastern and central United States.
Wildlife value
Fruit attracts birds who eat the seeds and distribute them. The fall berries are eaten by birds, and the seeds are easily spread. It is attractive to deer. Host plant to many types of beetle.
Attracts
Bees; Songbirds
Play value
Wildlife Food Source
Food & Medicine
Harvest time
Fall
Fruit type
Berry; Capsule
Edibility
Use caution. Many species of this genus are toxic to humans.
Poisonous through ingestion. Poisonous symptoms: abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, convulsions, weakness, chills, and coma. TOXIC ONLY IF LARGE QUANTITIES EATEN. Ingesting large amounts of any part of the plant can result in poisoning. CHILDREN may be attracted to fruits in fall. No part of this plant is edible, including seeds: All parts are poisonous.