Eastern Wahoo is a large, gangly, deciduous shrub or small tree in the bittersweet family that is native to central and eastern United States. It is relatively rare in North Carolina, but can be found scattered in the Piedmont and mountain areas. Its native habitat is moist, open woods, stream banks, and and thickets. The best specimens are found in deep rich humus soils, limstone soils, and stream bottoms and woods. Eastern Wahoo prefers dappled sunlight to light shade, moist to mesic conditions, and a fertile loamy soil; however, it tolerates most soil types as long as they are well-drained. It can be grown in full sun to partial shade. It is particularly suited to dry shaded areas and requires shade from the midday sun. It is a moderately fast-growing but short-lived tree in the wild. In cultivation, it is often used as a hedge or screen in or naturalized and woodland settings. The flowers appear in spring and are not very ornamental. The bright red fruits that mature in fall and the leaves that become yellow or red are the shrub's best feature. The epithet, atropurpureus, means dark purple in reference to the color of the fruits and fall foliage. Diseases, Insect Pests, and Other Plant Problems: As with most of the Euonymus species, Eastern Wahoo is susceptible to scale. Protection from deer and rabbits may be needed. The Clemson Cooperative Extension Home & Garden Information Center has a factsheet on common pests and diseases.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Clay; Loam (Silt); Sand
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0); Alkaline (>8.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist
NC region
Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 12 ft. 0 in. - 25 ft. 0 in. | Width: 15 ft. 0 in. - 25 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
2 - Understory (15-40 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Erect; Spreading
Texture
Medium
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Opposite
Leaf shape
Elliptical; Ovate
Leaf margin
Serrate
Leaf value
Showy
Leaf size
3-6 inches long, 3-6 inches wide
Hairs present
Yes
Leaf detail
Leaves are opposite, simple, and elliptical, 2 1/2 to 4 inches long and 4 inches across, and finely serrated. Leaf pairs develop along young shoots and smaller branches. The upper surface of each leaf is dark green and hairless, while the lower surface is pale green and finely pubescent.
Fall color
Gold/Yellow; Red/Burgundy
Flower color
Purple/Lavender
Flower value
Long Bloom Season
Flower form
Cyme; Insignificant
Flower shape
Radial
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
Small forking cymes of 7 to 20 flowers develop from the axils of current or former leaves. Each flower is about 1/3 of an inch across, consisting of 4 spreading petals, 4 sepals, 4 short stamens with yellow anthers, and a pistil with a short stout style. The petals are reddish purple and oval in shape, while the smaller sepals are greenish purple and oval. The blooming period occurs from late spring to early summer and lasts about a month.
Bloom time
Spring; Summer
Fruit color
Red/Burgundy
Fruit type
Capsule
Fruit value
Showy
Fruit detail
The flowers are replaced by 4-lobed seed capsules that become mature during the fall. Each seed capsule splits open into four parts to expose fleshy red fruits) that each contain two seeds. The seed capsules are light pink or pale purple with a smooth surface; they later become more dark-colored. The seeds are light brown with a smooth surface.
Bark color
Dark Brown; Green; Red/Burgundy
Bark detail
Central trunk and larger branches are covered with a thin, rough gray bark. Smaller branches are dull green with thin vertical stripes of gray bark. Young shoots are entirely green.
Stem color
Gray/Silver; Green
Stem detail
Young shoots or small branches can be terete (round in cross-section) or 4-angled.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
Eastern North America, Canada and Eastern United States.
Distribution
Ontario and Nova Scotia south to Florida and west to Montana, Texas, and Nebraska.
Wildlife value
Birds are attracted to the fruits. Flowers attract small bees and flies. Caterpillars of moths feed on the leaves.
Attracts
Songbirds
Food & Medicine
Harvest time
Fall
Fruit type
Capsule
Edibility
Toxic in large amounts.
Uses (ethnobotany)
Bark, leaves and fruits were formerly used for medicinal purposes; however, all parts of the plant are poisonous if ingested.
Landscape Use
Landscape location
Naturalized Area; Woodland
Landscape theme
Native Garden; Rain Garden
Design feature
Hedge; Screen/Privacy
Garden tags
#native shrub #large shrub #NC native #problem for cats #problem for dogs #problem for horses #poisonous #fruits fall #fall interest #hortcontest
Problems & Resistance
Problems
Problem for Cats; Problem for Dogs; Problem for Horses
Resistant to
Black Walnut; Compaction
Propagation
Seed; Stem Cutting
Poison severity
Low
Poison parts
Bark; Stems
Poison symptoms
When large amounts ingested, may cause vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, weakness, and heart rhythm abnormalities.