Photo: Andrew Cannizzaro, CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Eastern Wahoo

Euonymus atropurpureus

Also called American wahoo, spindle tree, burningbush.

A native shrub or small tree of rich woods and stream banks, with dark purple flowers, yellow to red fall leaves and pink capsules that open on scarlet seeds.

Fall colorWildlife valueTolerates shadeWinter interest

Type: Shrub
Mature height: 6–20 ft
USDA zones: 3–9
Growth rate: Medium
Sun: Full, Part, Shade
Soil moisture: Average
Grows wild in: Floodplain forests, stream banks and rich moist slopes
Native range: 31 states and the District of Columbia, north and west to North Dakota and south to Florida
List all 32
Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia
Also recorded in 6 other states, outside its native range. See what is native in your state

Hardiness zones Find your zone by ZIP code

Eastern wahoo is a shrub or small tree of the bittersweet family, native to rich, moist woods, floodplains and stream banks across the eastern and central states. In fall its leaves turn yellow to red, and its pink to red, four-lobed capsules split to show seeds in bright scarlet coats that hang on into winter. Its small, dark purple flowers are easy to miss. Every part of the plant is poisonous if eaten. Florida lists it as endangered, and it is critically imperiled in Delaware, South Carolina and Louisiana. Plant it at a woodland edge or in a mixed hedge, where its fall fruit shows.

Size, growth and what to expect

It grows at a medium rate, about a foot and a half a year in our growth estimator. It makes a large, open shrub or small tree 6 to 20 feet tall, rarely 25, spreading 15 to 25 feet. Its green twigs carry thin lines of corky bark, and its leaves are 2 to 5 inches long.

Small, dark purple flowers open in May and June in loose clusters of 7 to 20. Pink to red, four-lobed capsules ripen in September and October and split to show seeds in scarlet coats, which hang on into winter.

Its leaves turn yellow to red in fall. It grows wild in rich, moist woods, floodplains, thickets and stream banks, from southern Ontario and Minnesota to northern Florida and eastern Texas. It has been planted widely and grows wild in New England, beyond its native range.

How to grow Eastern Wahoo

Eastern wahoo grows best in dappled or light shade and does well in full sun, but it wants shade from the midday sun. It takes most soils that drain well, clay and limestone soils among them, but not wet, poorly drained ground. It tolerates black walnut. Plant it 12 feet from a wall and set plants 12 feet apart for a screen. Keep it 15 feet from overhead wires, since it can pass 20 feet.

Saplings ship bare-root or potted. Its dense, shallow roots make it easy to move when dormant. Plant it in a hole wider than the roots and no deeper, and put the native soil back in. Seed is a less reliable way to raise it than cuttings. Pick the capsules just before they split. Sow the cleaned seed outdoors in fall, a quarter inch deep, and mulch the bed. Stored seed needs two to six months damp in the refrigerator before a spring sowing.

Water weekly through the first summer if rain is short. It can spread by suckers into a loose colony, so pull the suckers if you want a single stem. Protect young plants from deer and rabbits.

Each flower carries both male and female parts, so there are no male and female plants to pair. Small bees and flies visit the flowers. Watch for euonymus scale and crown gall. Every part of the plant is poisonous if eaten.

Heights and zones are typical ranges for the species in cultivation; local conditions and seed source shift them.

Sources (10)