Euonymus alatus - Burning Bush or Winged Euonymus (Celastraceae) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Euonumus alatus is a tough but overutilized land- and branching very low to the ground scape shrub primarily found in mass plantings or as a -with advanced maturity, some shrubs (especially the formal hedge. Burning Bush is widely known for its species form) can be limbed up into multi-trunked brilliant red autumn display, and lesser known for the tree form, or truly "specimen" shrub form bold-textured corky stems that have winter appeal on the underutilized species form. USAGE Function FEATURES -formal or informal hedge, group or mass planting, Form non-thorny barrier, deciduous screen, specimen, -large-sized foliage shrub border, entranceway, foundation, or at water's edge -species form very slowly (outstanding red color reflection in autumn, but not maturing at 15' tall x 15' wet site tolerant) wide Texture -cultivars are smaller (10' -medium texture in foliage, and medium (non-corky x 10', or less, making stemmed) to bold (corky stemmed) texture when bare them medium-sized -thick density in foliage and when bare shrubs), and often are Assets kept to an even smaller -brilliant flaming-red autumn color size by shearing, irrespec-tive of their specific -takes well to pruning and shearing genetic potential for size -urban stress tolerant -upright vased growth habit in youth, becoming -vased shape in youth and layered horizontal spreading rounded and horizontally layered with age branching at maturity (if unpruned) (if not pruned) -ornamental winged stems (on the species form and -slow growth rate some little-known cultivars) Culture Liabilities -full sun to full shade -whether pruned or unpruned, it often slowly grows -very adaptable to poor soils, compacted soils, beyond its intended boundaries or presumed mature various soil pHs, heat, drought, periodic shearing, height and pollution (and is therefore very urban tolerant), -several biotic and abiotic stresses can be significant and is also quite adaptable to partial to full shade for this species, compounded by its being over- (where growth is less vigorous and autumn color is a utilized in the landscape mixture of pink-red and faded yellow) -may slowly sucker from its base or roots with age, -several significant problems may affect this species forming tight colonies at maturity if these are not (coral spot, nectria canker, euonymus scale) regularly nipped off Foliage -some plants may become leggy with age -medium to dark Habitat green, 1-3" long, with -Zones 4 to 8 a short petiole -Native to Northeastern Asia and Central China -opposite to subopposite, elliptical SELECTIONS to obovate, with finely Alternates serrated margins -shrubs with good autumn color (Aronia arbutifolia -autumn color is a 'Brilliantissima', Fothergilla gardenii, Hamamelis x brilliant red in sunny intermedia, Viburnum rufidulum, Viburnum sites or a faded pink- setigerum, etc.) red in shady sites -shrubs that may serve as formal or informal hedges Flowers (Ligustrum obtusifolium, Ribes alpinum, Taxus x -yellow-green media, Thuja occidentalis 'Emerald' ('Smaragd'), miniature Viburnum dentatum, Viburnum lantana, etc.) inflorescences in late Cultivars – Variants- Related species May and early June, -all cultivars of Burning Bush are more compact than usually inconspicuous the species form, but they differ primarily in how Fruits compact they are, how corky or non-corky the stems -many individual plants and/or cultivars have sparse are, cold hardiness, upright vs. rounded shape, and fruits, if present at all whether they branch to the ground vs. become leggy Twigs with age -for the species form, very narrow dark -E. alatus 'Compactus' - a "compact" form maturing green strips occur along the axis of the slowly at 8' x 8', with virtually no corky wings on its thick stem, surrounded by very prominent first-year, relatively thin, but more dense green tan to brown corky wings stems, but only hardy to zone 5; the most popular -the common cultivar 'Compacta', cultivar by far and abundantly available however, has relatively thin stems that are -E. alatus 'Nordine Strain' - heavily cork-barked, primarily green, and the corkiness is branching to the ground, to 10' x 10', hardy to zone 4; replaced by thin tan strips interrupting the low availability subtle green color -E. alatus 'Rudy Haag' - similar in appearance but Trunk much smaller than 'Compacta', slowly growing to 5' x -brown and slightly fissured, usually multi-trunked 5', hardy to zone 4; rare availability.