Euonymus alatus 'Compactus'
Common name:
Burning Bush
Compact Winged Euonymus
Pronunciation:
u-ON-i-mus a-LA-tus
Family:
Celastraceae
Genus:
Type:
Broadleaf
Native to (or naturalized in) Oregon:
No
- Deciduous shrub, 8-10 ft (2.4-3 m), dense, rounded form, formal "aristocratic" look. Leaves opposite, 2.5-7.5 cm long, medium to dark green, bright red in fall. Stems have ridges or "wings" (alata = winged), however, they often do not develop in this cultivar to the extent they do in the species. Flowers small, 6 mm across, inconspicuous, yellow-green, 4-petaled, perfect (male and female parts in same flower). Fruit reddish-purple, ovoid, 6-8 mm, much it falls before leaves drop.
- Sun to part shade, very adaptable plant, not particular about soil.
- Hardy to USDA Zone 4 (not as hardy as species). Species found in northeastern Asia to central China.
- Caution: The Nature Conservancy warns about the invasive nature of E. alatus as follows: "While it behaves well in urban areas, E. alatus planted near woodlands, mature second-growth forests, and pastures can be problematic. It has been observed escaping from cultivation in the northeast and midwest, notably in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Illinois. E. alatus is a threat to woodland areas, fields, and coastal scrubland because it out competes native species."
- alatus: winged, the shoots. ‘Compactus’: compact, in a relative sense, the species (E. alatus) may reach 20 ft (6 m) tall, this cultivar may attain a height of 10 ft (3 m).
- Corvallis: east side of Central Park, along 6th Street
- Oregon State Univ. campus: east end of Crop Science parking lot (along 30th St., The Mall).
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