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strawberry bush Celastraceae Euonymus americanus L. Listen to the Latin Print a QR link to this factsheet 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

strawberry bush leaf image
strawberry bush flower image
strawberry bush fruit image
strawberry bush twig image
strawberry bush bark image
strawberry bush form image
strawberry bush map image

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 2025 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