Virginia Tech Dendrology

strawberry bush Celastraceae Euonymus americanus L. symbol: EUAM9
Leaf: Opposite, simple, ovate to elliptical, 2 to 4 inches, finely toothed, bright green above slightly paler below.
Flower: Perfect, small (1/3 inch across), 5 greenish-purple petals, in clusters, appearing in late spring.
Fruit: Very unique, 4-lobed capsules which when opened reveal an orange-red warty aril, the "husks" are pink to purple, open in fall.
Twig: Slender, square and green, terminal buds reddish orange, 1/4 inch long, pointed.
Bark: Green, but does split and become darker.
Form: A loose, suckering, sprawling shrub usually between 2 and 10 feet tall.
Looks like: winged euonymus - eastern wahoo - spindletree - wintercreeper

Additional Range Information: Euonymus americanus is native to North America. Range may be expanded by planting. Download the full-size PDF map.
External Links: USDA Plants Database
All material 2021 Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation; Photos and text by: John Seiler, Edward Jensen, Alex Niemiera, and John Peterson; Silvics reprinted from Ag Handbook 654; range map source information