The Burning Bush Story

Winged burning bush in a wooded understory. Its bright red fall color makes it easy to identify. 

Winged burning bush, Euonymus alatus, is beautiful in fall. Its vibrant orange to red-purple leaves are striking, and it has been widely planted for its burst of late-season color.

In Minnesota, however, the species and its cultivars are no longer available. Many homeowners and landscapers have been disappointed that the shrub is now considered invasive and is legally prohibited from sale. Some question this decision, saying that burning bush doesn’t spread to natural areas – not in great numbers, anyway.

What’s the story of burning bush? What evidence supports the claim that it invades natural areas? And if it does, what harm does it cause?

 

First Arrival

Winged burning bush is originally from northeast Asia, where it grows in forests, woodlands and shrub-dominated scrublands. Someone – it’s unknown who – introduced it into North America in the mid-1800s as an ornamental shrub prized for its winged stems, bright fall color and abundant red fruits (1).

Left: Burning bush in its blazing fall color. Center: Stems and older branches have corky wings. Leaves are opposite. Right: Reddish capsules open in fall to release seeds enclosed in bright red arils, or fleshy seed coverings.

By the early 1900s, burning bush had entered the nursery trade, and by the mid-1900s the shrub and its cultivars were well known. Plant catalogs from that time promote the plant’s fall color and attractive fruits. In 1934, Breck’s catalog included burning bush among several desirable shrubs, writing, “Those who enjoy having birds around their home will find no better way of attracting them” than to plant them (2).

In 1949, Adams Nursery wrote in its catalog, “No doubt one of the most conspicuous varieties in the autumn, with its brilliant scarlet foliage and fruits,” adding that one of the shrub’s cultivars is “[i]ndifferent to soil, shade, and city conditions.” In other words, it will grow just about anywhere it’s planted (3).

Other advertisements were similarly positive. Burning bush, they all said, is an ideal plant for a shrub border, foundation planting, specimen planting or other uses. At the time, there was no mention of it naturalizing.

Early Concerns

As burning bush became widely planted, observations of its unintentional spread started to accumulate. In 1973, botanists John Ebinger and Loy Phillippe published what may be the first documented observation of burning bush spreading beyond intentional plantings (4). During field work in Illinois, they found a sizeable, self-sustaining population of Euonymus alatus on a wooded hillside and valley. They wrote:

“The population studied dominates the understory in the more shaded parts of a north facing hillside and valley floor, being particularly abundant in small ravines. The entire population extends over an area of about 4 acres …. Numerous smaller plants and seedlings are also common.”

For the next 10 years, John Ebinger studied that site and documented what he found. In a 1983 report (5), he wrote that the burning bush population had expanded to 3 hectares (about 7.4 acres), with some plants more than 30 years old. Small plants and seedlings were still common. On the north-facing hillside, the seedling density was an average 138,500 per hectare (2.471 acres) and the density of saplings was an average 1,100 per hectare. On the ravine floor, the seedling density was an average 150,000 per hectare, and the density of saplings was an average 1,700 per hectare. He also noted that the population had almost doubled in number, and plants had spread to the forest edge and a nearby field.

About the plant’s invasive ability, he wrote, “Although not a major problem in natural areas, winged wahoo [another common name for Euonymus alatus] does have the potential to spread into good quality forests since it can grow and reproduce in dense shade. Most of the reproduction observed is from seeds falling from established plants. However, birds do regurgitate the seeds soon after ingesting them, and some seeds have been found to be viable after passing through the digestive tract.”

Later Decades

From the 1990s to the present, reports of naturalized burning bush have increased across North America. The greatest number are from the northeast US, but the plant is also spreading in the Midwest, including Minnesota. The map below is from EDDMapS, a reporting system for introduced plants that have become naturalized (6). Record density by county (or the equivalent in Canada) is indicated by color; the darker the shade, the greater the density.

 

Some of these reports are in or near natural areas, such as parks, forests, refuges and shorelands. For example, locations selected from the map above include Bedell Bridge State Park in New Hampshire, Griffy Lake Nature Preserve in Indiana, and Elroy-Sparta State Trail in Wisconsin. In Minnesota, burning bush has been reported in the Richard J. Dorer Memorial Hardwood State Forest, Great River Bluffs State Park, the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge and the Lower St. Croix National Scenic Riverway, among other places.

Some of these reports are of single plants or a few scattered individuals. Others document higher density populations or even monocultures. The photographs below are from a wood line between a private residence and the Richard J. Dorer Memorial Hardwood State Forest, where photographer Peter M. Dzuik noted full canopy closure by mature shrubs and nearly full cover of the ground layer by seedlings (EDDMapS report 5235347.)

 

Impacts and Intervention

Clearly, burning bush can be invasive. With enough time and in favorable circumstances, a few naturalized shrubs can turn into many, including in natural areas. Looking back, it’s not surprising that burning bush can spread. Some of the qualities that made it popular, namely its wide tolerance of growing conditions, its abundant fruit production and its ability to attract birds, are traits common to many invasive plants (7).

Those traits helped burning bush spread to many habitats, and where its cover is extensive and dense, its effects are significant. In its 2019 assessment of burning bush (8), the Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s Noxious Weed Advisory Committee (NWAC) concluded in part that burning bush and its cultivars can “aggressively displace native species through competition” and have “the potential to change native ecosystems” by forming dense thickets and ground layers. The NWAC also noted that burning bush invades not only forest understories but also prairies, pastures and coastal shrublands. (See question 8 in the Assessment Worksheet; it includes several references.)

As a result, the committee recommended adding burning bush to Minnesota’s Noxious Weed List in 2020, initially designating the species and its cultivars as Specially Regulated (9). After a three-year phase-out period, the plant was moved to the Restricted list, meaning it can’t be “imported, sold, or transported in the state” without a permit. It also means that burning bush has become so widespread in Minnesota that eradicating it or preventing it from reproducing isn’t realistic.

How To Identify Burning Bush

It’s easy to identify burning bush in fall, when its bright red-orange color and red fruits make it obvious. At other times of the year, its winged stems and opposite leaves (or buds) are helpful characteristics. A native burning bush (Euonymus atropurpureus), also called eastern wahoo or spindle tree, is found in southern Minnesota, usually in lowlands but sometimes in uplands (10). Its stems are squarish in cross section, with shallow ridges or faint lines along the angles. Unlike the stems of Euonymus alatus, they lack well-defined wings.

 

In late fall and winter, burning bush can be identified by its winged stems and red fruits.

For more information about either species, see these Minnesota Wildflowers pages: Euonymus alatus, Euonymus atropurpureus.  

References

1. Winged Euonymus (Euonymus alatus). iNaturalist. Website accessed November 15, 2025.

2. Joseph Breck & Sons., et al. 1934, Everything for Farm, Garden & Lawn. Joseph Breck & Sons, 1934, https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/269483.

3. Adams Nursery. & Henry G. Gilbert Nursery and Seed Trade Catalog Collection. (1949). 100th anniversary, 1849, 1949. Adams Nursery, Incorporated. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/304370

4. New Plant Records for Illinois. John E. Ebinger and Loy R. Phillippe. Transactions of the Illinois State Academy of Science Vol. 66. No. 3 & 4, page 115.

5. Exotic Shrubs: A Potential Problem in Natural Area Management in Illinois. John E. Ebinger. Natural Areas Journal Vol. 3, No. 1. pages 3-6. 1983.

6. EDDMapS. 2025. Early Detection & Distribution Mapping System. The University of Georgia - Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health. Available online at http://www.eddmaps.org/; last accessed November 23, 2025.

7. Exotic, Invasive Plants 101: Characteristics and Identification. Belinda Eshan. Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and Tennessee Exotic Pest Plant Council (TNEPPC). 2012.

8. Assessment Worksheet for Winged Burning Bush. Noxious Weed Advisory Committee, Minnesota Department of Agriculture. 2019.

9. Minnesota Noxious Weed List. Minnesota Department of Agriculture. Website accessed Nov. 11, 2025.

10. Trees and Shrubs of Minnesota. Welby R. Smith, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. University of Minnesota Press, 2008.