Euonymus atropurpureus
Common name: 
Eastern Wahoo
Pronunciation: 
u-ON-i-mus at-ro-per-PU-re-us
Family: 
Celastraceae
Genus: 
Euonymus
Type: 
Broadleaf
Native to (or naturalized in) Oregon: 
No
  • Deciduous shrub or small tree, 12-25 ft (3.5-7.5 m) tall, wide, flat-topped irregular crown.  Leaves simple, opposite, elliptic to ovate-elliptic, 4-12 cm long, acuminate tip, margin serrulate, dark green, pubescent below, may show reddish purple color in fall; petiole 1-2 cm long.  Flowers purple, about 1 cm across, clusters have 7-15 on  slender branched stalks, 2-4.5 cm long.  Fruit crimson, smooth, to 1.5 cm wide, deeply 4-lobed, opening to expose a scarlet aril covering a brown seed.
  • Sun to part shade
  • Hardy to USDA Zone 4    Native to range from New York to Florida and west to Minnesota, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas.
  • atropurpureus: atro, dark, purpureus, purple.
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  • plant habit

    plant habit

  • leaves

    leaves

  • leaves and flowers

    leaves and flowers

  • leaves

    leaves

  • flowers and leaves

    flowers and leaves

  • developing fruit

    developing fruit

  • fruit, fall

    fruit, fall

  • winter plant habit and trunk, bark

    winter plant habit and trunk, bark

  • winter twigs, buds and remnant fruit

    winter twigs, buds and remnant fruit