Euonymus americanus (yoo-ON-ih-mus a-mer-ih-KAY-nus)
Family: CelastraceaeNativeShrub (3-15 ft)
Shrub (3-15 ft)Native
Strawberry bush is a low-maintenance, deciduous, suckering, perennial shrub native to the southeastern and southern states. Its common name derives from the showy warty capsules that split open to reveal red-orange seeds in the fall. The specific epithet is Latin for “American.” It is a member of the bittersweet family (Celastraceae). The shrub can be grown in a wide variety of soils, including clay, and tolerates both drought and wet soils to a degree. It tolerates being planted near black walnut trees. It frequently sustains damage from deer that eat the foliage and twigs. It is native to wooded slopes, moist woodlands and creek or river areas, and is found in a variety of soil conditions ranging from sandy to clay. Spring flowers are small and non-showy, but the fall leaf color is an attractive red. It has a sprawling form when young but matures to a more upright growth pattern. Seeds are eaten by birds and small mammals. Plant in a woodland naturalized area or a native plant garden. It would also work in a rain or shade garden. Fire Risk: This plant has a low flammability rating. Insects, Diseases and Other Plant Problems: No serious problems, aside from browsing by deer. Scale insects can be a problem. The Clemson Cooperative Extension Home & Garden Information Center has a factsheet on common pests and diseases. More information on Euonymus .
Source: NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox ↗Reconciled to full toolbox: matched by slug to slug 'euonymus-americanus'. Identity (id/common/scientific name) preserved from the original 87-plant Hunnicutt set; attribute data refreshed from the 72-attribute toolbox scrape.
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.
Deep shade (Less than 2 hours to no direct sunlight) | 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; High Organic Matter; Loam (Silt)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist
Available space
6-feet-12 feet
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 4 ft. 0 in. - 6 ft. 0 in. | Width: 4 ft. 0 in. - 6 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Medium
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
3 - Shrub (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Multi-stemmed
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Opposite
Leaf shape
Elliptical; Oblong
Leaf margin
Crenulate
Leaf value
Showy
Leaf size
1-3 inches long, < 1 inch wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Oblong to oval leaves up to 3 inches long are yellow-green and turn a showy red for fall. Tips are pointed and bases are rounded. Margins slightly toothed.
Fall color
Red/Burgundy
Flower color
Gold/Yellow; Green; Purple/Lavender
Flower form
Solitary
Flower shape
Saucer
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
Non-showy, small blooms about 1/3 inch across with 5 yellow-green petals and purple stamens. Blooms from May to June.
Bloom time
Summer
Fruit color
Orange; Pink
Fruit type
Capsule
Fruit value
Showy
Fruit size
< 1 inch long, < 1 inch wide
Fruit detail
3/4 inch red bumpy 5-lobed capsule splits to reveal red seeds. Displays from September to October.
Bark color
Green
Bark detail
Bark is green buy darkens with age
Stem color
Green
Stem detail
Slender, square and green stems. Terminal buds reddish-orange, 1/4 inch long, pointed.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
Central & Eastern U.S.A
Wildlife value
Foliage and twigs are readily eaten by white-tailed deer. Seeds are eaten by songbirds, wild turkeys and small mammals.