Euonymus americanus: 'American Strawberry Bush'

Latin name:  Euonymus americanus ¹⁰
Common name:  American Strawberry Bush ¹⁰
Flowers: Small green-yellow flowers, non-showy, May-June ¹²
Fruit or cones: Bright red fruits open to reveal orange seeds ¹⁰
Height & Width:  4-5’ X 3-4’ ¹³
Type:  Deciduous perennial ¹⁰
Habit:  Woody shrub with erect stems ¹²
Wetland indicator category**: FAC ¹⁷
Texture:  Medium ¹²
Growth rate:  Medium ¹³
Light:  Part shade to full sun ¹³
Moisture:  Medium ¹²
Soil*: Tolerates a wide variety of soils including clay ¹²
Zones:  6-9 ¹²
Origin:  Native to South Carolina and Southeast U.S. states ¹⁶
Ecosystem benefits: Fruits and seeds are a minor food source for songbirds ¹³

Features:  American strawberry bush is a low maintenance, deciduous shrub with medium green leaves in spring and summer. The foliage changes to red or red-orange in the fall with green or purple stems in winter, depending on how much sun the shrub has. The more sun the plant receives, the more purple the stems become ¹³.

Siting:  American strawberry bush fruits best in light shade but will tolerate partial shade to full sun ¹³. It also tolerates a wide variety of soils (including clay) and is fairly tolerant of moist soils, as well as drought ¹³.

Care: Plant so root flare is visible at soil surface ¹⁴. At planting, water the root ball daily with two gallons of water per inch of trunk diameter for two weeks, every other day for two months and then weekly until established. Modify water recommendations to reflect site drainage and rainfall. Apply 3” of mulch over the planted area. Do not allow mulch to touch the trunk ¹⁴.  

Pests: American strawberry bush is relatively pest-resistant if cultural preferences are met, however it can be impacted by Euonymus Scale ¹⁰.

This plant does not appear on the following invasive plant lists on (3-1-21):

• USDA SC Invasive Plant Species Web site at http://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/plants/main.shtml
• SC Exotic Plant Pest Council Web site at http://www.se-eppc.org/southcarolina/

Author: Carson Colenbaugh

Image source: https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/euonymus-americanus/

Sources:

1. Armitage, A. (2001). Armitage’s manual of annuals, biennials, and half-hardy perennials. Portland, OR: Timber Press.
2. Armitage, A. (2006). Armitage’s native plants for North American gardens. Portland, Oregon: Timber Press.
3. Armitage, A. (2008). Herbaceous perennial plants: A treatise on their identification, culture, and garden attributes. Athens, GA: University of Georgia.
4. Clemson Cooperative Extension Home and Garden Information Center.(2011). Flowers fact sheets. Retrieved from https://hgic.clemson.edu/category/flowers/
5. Clemson Cooperative Extension Home and Garden Information Center.(2011). Groundcovers & vines fact sheets. Retrieved from https://hgic.clemson.edu/category/groundcovers/
6. Clemson Cooperative Extension Home and Garden Information Center.(2011). Trees. Retrieved from https://hgic.clemson.edu/category/trees/
7. Clemson Cooperative Extension Home and Garden Information Center.(2011). Shrubs. Retrieved from https://hgic.clemson.edu/category/shrubs/
8. Dirr, M. A. (2009). Manual of woody landscape plants. Champaign, IL: Stipes Publishing.
9. Gilman, E. F. (1997). Trees for urban and suburban landscapes. Albany, NY: Delmar Publishers.
10. Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center University of Texas at Austin. (2012). Native plant information network. Retrieved from http://www.wildflower.org/explore/
11. McMillan, P., Plant taxonomist Clemson University, personal communication.
12. Missouri Botanical Garden Kemper Center for Home Gardening. Plant finder. Retrieved from http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/Alpha.asp
13. North Carolina State University (2005). Plant fact sheets. Retrieved from http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/factsheets/index.html
14. Strother, E. V., Ham, D. L., Gilland, L. (2003) Urban tree species guide: Choosing the right tree for the right place.  Columbia, SC: South Carolina Forestry Commission.
15. University of Florida, IFAS Extension. (2011). Southern trees fact sheet. Retrieved from http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/department_envhort-trees
16. USDA . Plant profile. (n/d).Retrieved from http://plants.usda.gov/java/
17. USDA. Plant wetland indicator status. (n/d). Retrieved from http://plants.usda.gov/wetland.html
18. Vincent, E., Environmental horticulturist Clemson University, personal communication.

*Soil pH is determined using a professional soil test. Contact your Clemson University County Extension service for assistance www.clemson.edu/extension/. Click on “local offices”.

**2012 Plant Wetland Indicator categories (quantitative derived) http://plants.usda.gov/wetinfo.html

 

Indicator Code	Indicator Status	Comment
OBL	Obligate Wetland	Almost always is a hydrophyte, rarely in uplands
FACW	Facultative Wetland	Usually is a hydrophyte but occasionally found in uplands
FAC	Facultative	Commonly occurs as either a hydrophyte or non-hydrophyte
FACU	Facultative Upland	Occasionally is a hydrophyte but usually occurs in uplands
UPL	Obligate Upland	Rarely is a hydrophyte, almost always in uplands