burningbush
Euonymus atropurpureus · Celastraceae
burningbush (Euonymus atropurpureus) is a perennial shrub in the Celastraceae family. It is native to North America.
At a glance
| Type | shrub Derived |
|---|---|
| Lifecycle | perennial USDA |
| Native status | native USDA |
| Mature height | 10 ft USDA |
| Light | shade USDA |
| Water need | low USDA |
| Growth rate | slow USDA |
| Soil pH | 5–8 USDA |
| Bloom | May–June USDA |
| Flower color | Purple USDA |
| Guild layer | shrub Derived |
USDA quoted from the USDA PLANTS database · Derived computed by a fixed rule from those columns. No value on this page is estimated.
Growing conditions
It tolerates full shade. USDA rates it as having low water needs once established. Its drought tolerance is rated medium. It is recorded on soils from pH 5 to 8 — a broad range that spans acidic through mildly alkaline ground.
Size and growth
At maturity it reaches about 10 ft, making it a plant that will finish above head height. It grows slowly.
Bloom period
USDA records a bloom period of May through June. Flowers are purple.
A flowering date, not a pollinator rating.
Foliage, flower and season
Summer foliage is dark green, coarse in texture. Its flowers are not conspicuous — a plant for form and foliage. Its active growth period is spring and summer. USDA rates its lifespan as short, so plan on replacing or resowing it rather than treating it as permanent structure.
What the site needs to provide
It roots to at least 12 inches. Fertility requirement: low — no feeding needed on ordinary garden soil.
Propagating it
Cuttings is the only propagation method USDA lists. Seed needs cold stratification — a period of moist chilling — before it will germinate, so sow in autumn or chill it artificially before a spring sowing. Its seed spreads at a slow rate.
Resilience and wildlife
Its fire tolerance is rated low. Its growth form is recorded as multiple stem.
Role in a guild
Shrub layer. In a layered planting this is woody mid-level structure between the understory and the ground. The layer is derived by a fixed rule from growth habit and mature height.
Tags
Related plants
Others in Euonymus
- burningbush Euonymus alatus
- bursting-heart Euonymus americanus
- winterberry euonymus Euonymus bungeanus
- winter creeper Euonymus fortunei
Where this data comes from
Every value on this page comes from the USDA PLANTS database record for symbol EUAT5, or is computed from those values by a fixed rule. Nothing here is estimated or model-generated. Where USDA publishes no value, this page omits the claim rather than filling the gap.
- Quoted from USDA PLANTS: active growth period, Bloom, Bloom end, cold stratification, Drought tolerance, fall conspicuous, fertility requirement, fire tolerance, Flower color, flower conspicuous, foliage color, foliage porosity winter, foliage texture, fruit conspicuous, growth form, Growth rate, Lifecycle, lifespan, Light, Mature height, Native status, Nitrogen fixation, propagation, resprout ability, root depth in, seed spread rate, Soil pH, Soil pH (upper), Tolerance of wet soil, Toxicity, Water need.
- Derived by a fixed rule from those columns: Guild layer, Type.
Read our full data sources and methodology.
Find more plants for your zone with the Plant Finder.