Euonymus occidentalis (yoo-ON-ih-mus ok-sih-den-TAY-liss)
Family: CelastraceaeNativeUnderstory (15-40 ft)
Understory (15-40 ft)Native
Western Burning Bush is a species of Euonymus , or Spindletree, a genus of deciduous or evergreen flowering shrubs. The parent plant is native to East Asia, but species are widely distributed in Canada and the continental United State. In nature, the Western Burning Bush it is often found in mixed deciduous forests or natural areas in low woodlands, deep moist woods, shaded stream banks and canyons and is the only member of its genus growing wild. Western Burning Bush is a mounding deciduous shrub or small tree native to western North America. This plant can be difficult to find, even in its native western states. Western Burning Bush prefers full sun to partial shade and moist sandy loam soils, although it can be grown in a wide variety of soils, including clay, and tolerates drought, some shade, and wet soils to a degree. It will tolerate temperatures down to 5 degrees F. Fruits and seeds are eaten by birds and small mammals. In the landscape, Burning Bush is typically sited in cool, shaded woodland gardens or higher elevation, forested gardens. Insects, diseases, and other plant problems: Susceptible to scale, anthracnose, powdery mildew, and crown gall. The Clemson Cooperative Extension Home & Garden Information Center has a factsheet on common pests and diseases.
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.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Clay; Loam (Silt); Sand
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist
Mature size
Height: 6 ft. 0 in. - 20 ft. 0 in. | Width: 10 ft. 0 in. - 20 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
2 - Understory (15-40 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Mounding
Texture
Medium
Foliage
Broadleaf Evergreen
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf shape
Obovate; Ovate
Leaf margin
Serrate
Leaf size
< 1 inch long
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
The thin, green, oval-shaped leaves are up to a half inch long and sometimes rolled under along the edges, ovate to obovate, with a tapered base.
Flower color
Brown/Copper; Pink; Red/Burgundy; White
Flower value
Long Bloom Season
Flower form
Cyme
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
Purple-brown flowers, finely dotted with a transparent margin. Five small flowers at the end of a long peduncle. Each flower has five rounded pink to brown and white mottled petals around a central nectar disc with 5 nubs. Flowers bloom from March to August.
Bloom time
Spring; Summer
Fruit color
Pink; Purple/Lavender
Fruit type
Capsule
Fruit value
Showy
Fruit detail
Deeply 3-lobed, smooth pink or purple fruit with brown seeds. The fruit is a rounded capsule with three bulging lobes. It opens to reveal one seed in each of the three lobes. The seed in concealed in a red aril.
Stem detail
The erect branches are slender and often climbing. Young branches are 4-angled, not corky winged.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
Western Canada to California
Distribution
California, Washington State, Oregon, and British Columbia.
Attracts
Butterflies
Play value
Attracts Pollinators
Food & Medicine
Harvest time
Fall
Fruit type
Capsule
Edibility
Many parts of the plant are toxic to humans.
Landscape Use
Landscape location
Riparian; Woodland
Landscape theme
Drought Tolerant Garden
Design feature
Border; Flowering Tree; Hedge; Specimen
Garden tags
#problem for horses #problem for dogs #problem for cats #deciduous #clay soils tolerant #drought tolerant #shrub #hedge #wildlife friendly #woodland
Problems & Resistance
Problems
Problem for Cats; Problem for Dogs; Problem for Horses
Toxic only if eaten in large quantities. Can cause vomiting, diarrhea, weakness, chills, coma, and convulsions. Heart rhythm abnormalities with large doses.