Euonymus alatus
Burning bush (Euonymus alatus) is a deciduous shrub growing to 20 ft. Two to four corky ridges often form along the length of young stems, though they may not appear in shaded areas or closed canopies.
The opposite, dark green leaves are < 2 in. long, smooth, rounded and taper at the tips. The leaves turn a bright crimson to purplish color in the fall.
The flowers have four petals and are inconspicuous, greenish yellow. Flowers develop from late April to June and lay flat against the leaves.
The fruit of reddish capsules split to reveal orange fleshy seeds from September through October.
Burning bush is spreading rapidly into forests and woodlands and can invade not only forest edges, old fields, and roadsides, but also undisturbed wooded habitats. Birds and other wildlife eat and disperse the fruit. Once established, it can form dense thickets, displacing native vegetation.
Seedlings and small plants can easily be hand-pulled from moist soil. Roots must be removed to prevent regrowth.
Foliar application of herbicide is effective during the growing season when the plants are in full leaf, but may cause off-target damage to any nearby desirable plants. Cut stump, stem injection or basal bark herbicide treatments are effective and can be applied at any time of the year other than early spring.
Cut stems/trunks with loppers or a saw and then daub the cut stems with a 10% to 20% solution of glyphosate. No surfactant is needed when applying herbicide to cut stems/stumps.
Identification and fact sheets
- Learn about winged burning bush at Invasive.org
- Learn about winged burning bush at Woody Invasives of the Great Lakes
Representative photos of burning bush:
Burning bush impact, abundance, and trend in Missouri
