Euonymus alatus 'Compactus'
Common name: 
Burning Bush
Compact Winged Euonymus
Pronunciation: 
u-ON-i-mus a-LA-tus
Family: 
Celastraceae
Genus: 
Euonymus
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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  • plant habit, spring

    plant habit, spring

  • flowers and expanding leaves

    flowers and expanding leaves

  • flower cluster and flowers

    flower cluster and flowers

  • plant habit, summer, hedge

    plant habit, summer, hedge

  • shoot, leaves

    shoot, leaves

  • shoot

    shoot

  • plant habit, fall

    plant habit, fall

  • plant habit, fall

    plant habit, fall

  • foundation planting, fall

    foundation planting, fall

  • leaves and fruit, fall

    leaves and fruit, fall

  • leaves, fall

    leaves, fall

  • fruit and leaves, fall

    fruit and leaves, fall

  • stem, bark ridge or "wing"

    stem, bark ridge or "wing"

  • "wing" variation

    "wing" variation

  • twigs and fruit, late fall

    twigs and fruit, late fall