CELASTRACEAE – BITTERSWEET FAMILY Plant: woody vines, shrubs but mostly small trees Stem: sometimes with milky juice Root: Leaves: simple, alternate or opposite, rarely whorled, some evergreen; small stipules often falling early or none Flowers: perfect or imperfect, regular (actinomorphic); tiny and often in clusters; 4-5 sepals and persisting; 4-5 petals or rarely none; 4-5 stamens (rarely 10) alternate with petals; ovary mostly superior, 2-5 fused carpels, 1 style Fruit: capsule, berry or drupe; seed coating often fleshy and colored Other: sometimes called the Staff-Tree family; some are cultivated (ornamentals); Dicotyledons Group Genera: 90+ genera; locally Celastrus (bittersweet), Euonymus, Paxistima WARNING – family descriptions are only a layman’s guide and should not be used as definitive Flower Morphology in the Celastraceae (Bittersweet Family) Examples of common genera Oriental Bittersweet Eastern Wahoo [Burningbush] [Spindle Tree] Celastrus orbiculatus Thunb. (Introduced) Euonymus atropurpureus Jacq. var. atropurpureus Winter Creeper [American] Bittersweet [Waxwork] Euonymus fortunei (Turcz.) Hand.-Maz. Celastrus scandens L. (Introduced) CELASTRACEAE – BITTERSWEET FAMILY Oriental Bittersweet; Celastrus orbiculatus Thunb. (Introduced) [American] Bittersweet [Waxwork]; Celastrus scandens L. Winged Burning Bush; Euonymus alatus (Thunb.) Siebold Strawberry Bush [Bursting-Heart]; Euonymus americanus L. Eastern Wahoo [Burningbush]; Euonymus atropurpureus Jacq. var. atropurpureus European Spindletree; Euonymus europaeus L. (Introduced) Winter Creeper; Euonymus fortunei (Turcz.) Hand.-Maz. (Introduced) Strawberry Bush [Bursting-Heart]; Euonymus americanus L. Running Strawberry Bush; Euonymus obovatus Nutt. Oriental Bittersweet USDA Celastrus orbiculatus Thunb. (Introduced) Celastraceae (Bittersweet Family) Oak Openings Metropark, Lucas County, Ohio Notes: woody vine; flowers small, green, axillary; leaves alternate, ovate to somewhat elliptical, well toothed, with petiole; fruit a red berry, fruit capsule yellow outside, may be orange-yellow inside; spring to early summer [V Max Brown, 2006] [American] Bittersweet USDA [Waxwork] Celastrus scandens L. Celastraceae (Bittersweet Family) Oak Openings Metropark, Lucas County, Ohio Notes: woody vine; petals greenish-white, usually both pistallite and stamilate flowers; leaves alternate, ; fruit a red berry, capsule orange outside, pale yellow (to yellowish white) inside (ID tentative) [V Max Brown, 2006] Winged Burning Bush USDA Euonymus alatus (Thunb.) Siebold (Introduced) Celastraceae (Bittersweet Family) Oak Openings Metropark, Lucas County, Ohio Notes: shrub; flowers small, greenish-yellow; leaves elliptical and tapered at both ends, sharply toothed; twigs angled, green, with corky wings; fruit purple with red aril [V Max Brown, 2004] Strawberry Bush [Bursting-Heart] USDA Euonymus americanus L. Celastraceae (Bittersweet Family) Near Heber Springs, Cleburne County, Arkansas Notes: shrub; flowers small and in axillary clusters of 2 or 3; leaves lanceolate to elliptical, finely (bluntly) toothed, short petiolate to almost sessile; trunk greenish; twigs angled (not winged), green; winter buds with several scales, sharply pointed; fruit a red berry within a rough (spiked), pinkish 3-5 lobed capsule, seeds red; erect shrub to 2 m; often forms patches in upland woods and bottomland flats; spring to early summer [V Max Brown, 2014] Eastern Wahoo [Burningbush] USDA [Spindle Tree] Euonymus atropurpureus Jacq. var. atropurpureus Celastraceae (Bittersweet Family) Oak Openings Metropark, Lucas County, Ohio Notes: shrub to small tree; flowers small, brown to purple; leaves opposite, elliptical, finely toothed, with short petiole; twigs green and 4-lined, pith greenish-white; fruit red berries in smooth, pink capsule [V Max Brown, 2005] European Spindletree USDA Euonymus europaeus L. (Introduced) Celastraceae (Bittersweet Family) Maumee River Metroparks, Lucas County, Ohio Notes: shrub to small tree; 4-petaled flower, greenish yellow, sepals green, flowers on long pedicels; leaves opposite, elliptical, finely toothed, with short petiole; twigs green; fruit red berries [V Max Brown, 2008] Winter Creeper USDA Euonymus fortunei (Turcz.) Hand.-Maz. (Introduced) Celastraceae (Bittersweet Family) Maumee River Metroparks, Lucas County, Ohio Notes: vine-shrub; flowers small, greenish-white; leaves evergreen, somewhat opposite, elliptical, finely toothed, with very short petiole (some difference between climbing fertile leaves and ground phase); twigs green to brown and 4-lined; fruit capsule with 2-4 valves, white to straw colored, berries red [V Max Brown, 2005] Running Strawberry Bush USDA Euonymus obovatus Nutt. Celastraceae (Bittersweet Family) Goll Woods State Nature Preserve, Fulton County, Ohio Notes: low trailing shrub; flowers small, greenish- yellow; leaves oblong to obovate, often less than twice as long as wide, finely toothed, short petiolate; twigs angled, green; fruit a red berry within a rough (spiked), pinkish capsule; winter buds with many scales, sharply pointed; often forms patches in woods or alluvial flats; spring [V Max Brown, 2009].