Our Eastern Wahoo tree (
Euonymus atropurpureus) is flowering right now. We purchased it last year from
Out Back Nursery and added it to the lower area of our yard where the soil is heavier and moister.
It is a native tree to Minnesota's deciduous woods and according to the
USDA Plant Database much of the eastern United States & Canada. It is considered a large shrub or small tree reaching a height of about 15 feet so it can be used in the landscape as a very nice small ornamental tree.
The flowers turn into bright pink fruit capsules in the fall which dangle from the branches. The capsules become very evident once the leaves fall. As they dry, they open up similarly to the orange fruit of bittersweet vine with a reddish seed hanging out.
The Wahoo Tree (sometimes called Burning Bush) is related to the non-native and invasive
Euonymus alatus or Winged Burning Bush.
According to Welby Smith in his book
Trees and Shrubs of Minnesota, the most favorable conditions for the Wahoo Tree are under a thin canopy or in patchy shade along the edge of woods. He also writes that the seeds are spread widely by birds that feed on the fruit.
For more photos of what's in bloom in our yard right now, check out the
In Bloom page.
