North Carolina Wildflowers, Shrubs, & Trees

by Jeffrey S. Pippen | Back to Jeff's Plant Page | Jeff's Nature Pages


Celastraceae > Euonymus (strawberry-bush, spindle-tree)

American Strawberry Bush, Hearts-a-bustin' (Euonymus americanus) American Strawberry Bush, Hearts-a-bustin' (Euonymus americanus)
Bottomland forest in Jones Co., NC
21 Oct 2007

Statewide and common in North Carolina, American Strawberry Bush grows in various wooded habitats.

American Strawberry Bush, Hearts-a-bustin' (Euonymus americanus) American Strawberry Bush, Hearts-a-bustin' (Euonymus americanus)
Bottomland forest in Jones Co., NC
21 Oct 2007

The common name comes from the oddly beautiful fruits, technically capsules, which split open revealing vermilion arils (appendages) on the seeds.

American Strawberry Bush, Hearts-a-bustin' (Euonymus americanus) American Strawberry Bush, Hearts-a-bustin' (Euonymus americanus)
Orange Co., NC
16 May 2009

Axillary flowers develop in late spring. Note, too, that the leaves are opposite and the stems are green.

American Strawberry Bush, Hearts-a-bustin' (Euonymus americanus) American Strawberry Bush, Hearts-a-bustin' (Euonymus americanus)
Orange Co., NC
16 May 2009

Flower close-up showy fleshy disc from which the stamens (and style & stigma) emerge.

American Strawberry Bush, Hearts-a-bustin' (Euonymus americanus) American Strawberry Bush, Hearts-a-bustin' (Euonymus americanus)
Orange Co., NC
16 May 2009


Winter Creeper (Euonymus fortunei var. radicans) Winter Creeper (Euonymus fortunei var. radicans)
Orange Co., NC
23 Dec 2007

This evergreen vine is an exotic invasive (native to China) that both climbs trees and crawls along the ground. Leaves are opposite and evergreen.

Winter Creeper (Euonymus fortunei var. radicans) Winter Creeper (Euonymus fortunei var. radicans)
Orange Co., NC
23 Dec 2007

Like many members of the family Celastraceae, fruits are capsules with colorful fleshy coverings (arils).

Winter Creeper (Euonymus fortunei var. radicans) Winter Creeper (Euonymus fortunei var. radicans)
Orange Co., NC
23 Dec 2007

Vines are hairy/scaly and often highly appressed against the host tree trunks.

Winter Creeper (Euonymus fortunei var. radicans) Winter Creeper (Euonymus fortunei var. radicans)
Orange Co., NC
23 Dec 2007


Running Strawberry Bush (Euonymus obovatus) Running Strawberry Bush (Euonymus obovatus)
Clay Co., NC
19 May 2007

In NC, known only frmo the mountains where uncommon to locally common on boulderfields and in rich forests.

Running Strawberry Bush (Euonymus obovatus) Running Strawberry Bush (Euonymus obovatus)
Clay Co., NC
19 May 2007


Annotated habitat and distribution information listed above is from Radford, Ahles, & Bell. 1968. Manual of the Vascular Flora of the Carolinas. UNC Press; Alan Weakley's Flora of the Carolinas, Virginia, and Georgia; and from personal observations and discussions with Will Cook, Harry LeGrand, and Bob Wilbur. Supplemental resources include USDA plants website, and NatureServe.


Back to Jeff's Plant Page | Jeff's Butterfly Page | Jeff's Nature Page

Created on ... Oct 26, 2007 | jeffpippen9@gmail.com