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| Wahoo, Eastern Wahoo, Burning-bush, Indian Arrowwood, Spindletree, Bleeding Heart, Arrowwood, Bitter Oak, Strawberry Tree Euonymus atropurpurea Celastraceae Wahoo is a multi-trunked shrub or small tree from 12 to 24 feet tall with dark green leaves, spreading branches and delicate purple flowers in late spring or early summer. It grows in limestone soils and stream-bottom woods in North Central and East Texas, and also in the eastern and central U.S. north to New York and Montana. The opposite, ovate to elliptic leaves are 2 to 5 inches long, pale and fuzzy underneath. Its bark is thin, smooth and gray to gray-green, and the eye-catching fruits that develop in September and October are scarlet red capsules that split open to expose the seeds inside, which are a favorite of many birds. Although it is reported that wahoo has been used medicinally, it is also reported to be poisonous. It was first cultivated in 1756.
Plant Habit or Use: medium shrub
Exposure: partial sun Flower Color: dark purple to dark red Blooming Period: spring Fruit Characteristics: scarlet four-lobed capsule with brown seeds Height: 12 to 24 feet Width: 12 to 24 feet Plant Character: deciduous Heat Tolerance: medium Water Requirements:
Soil Requirements: alkaline Additional Comments:
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