A Beautiful Invader
Burning bush is a common sight in southern Indiana. Its beautiful red leaves are a welcome splash of color as we enter the drab browns of the winter. However, this beautiful landscaping bush has a darker side. Burning bush, Euonymus alatus, is on the invasive plant list for this area. What does it mean?
Burning bush, Euonymus alatus, and its vibrant red leaves of autumn.
-image sourced from invasive.org
According to the Indiana Invasive Species Counsel, exotic invasive species are non-native plants, animals or microbes that spread aggressively, replacing native organisms and posing serious threats to human health and well-being, the environment, or our economy.
Burning bush is originally from Asia (non-native), it spreads aggressively by both roots and by seed, and it outcompetes native plants, which in turn leaves native insects, birds, and other creatures at a disadvantage. Our food sources are all interconnected, meaning if a caterpillar eats a specific plant, and a bird eats that specific caterpillar, where does that leave those species if the plant they depend on for food hasn’t had the chance to grow? That’s why displacement of native species has a detrimental effect to our local organisms. Burning bush crowds out those plants that our other native species depend on.
-image sourced from invasive.org
There is good news, though! If you like the colors of Winged Burning Bush, we have some native varieties. According to Purdue’s Invasive Plant Series: Winged Burning Bush, “Indiana has three native euonymus species that could be confused with winged euonymus. The most likely encountered is eastern burning bush or wahoo (Euonymus atropurpureus), which is a shrub or small tree. Wahoo often has larger leaves and longer leaf stems than winged burning bush and a more erect form. Flowers of wahoo are maroon and evident in June or July. The fruit are pink 4-lobed capsules splitting to reveal red-orange fruit (Figures 7, 8 and 9). Running euonymus or running strawberry bush (Euonymus obovatus) is a perennial groundcover (barely reaching up to a few feet tall) found throughout most of Indiana, except the southwest corner. Leaves tend to be wider toward the tip (or apex) and similar in size to wahoo. The flowers appear in May and are five-petaled and green to pinkish-yellow. The fruit is a three-lobed warty pink capsule with red seeds exposed when the capsule splits. Strawberry bush or brook euonymus (Euonymus americanus) is a small shrub found in a few counties in the southern quarter of Indiana. This species is found mostly on moist to wet woodland sites. Leaves are variable in shape and size with very short leaf stems. Flowers are 5-petaled and greenish-pink, and they appear in May. Fruit is a warty pink capsule that splits to reveal orange-red fleshy seeds in the fall.”
A link to the full article can be found here.
