11 Types of Euonymus: Choosing the Best Plants for Your Garden

There are a lot of different Euonymus species out there, and you’re a busy gardener. You don’t have time to research and analyze the top contenders… but luckily, I do. ‘Tis my job, and all.

This guide describes 11 different species in detail, and gives you the necessary data for all your tough Euonymus-choosing decisions. You’ll have more information and less decision-making fatigue after reading this!

Here’s the list, gang:

Let’s begin!

1. American

As its name somewhat implies, this deciduous shrub is native to the Eastern United States.

Growable in USDA Hardiness Zones 6 to 9, E. americanus starts out sprawling as a juvenile, but becomes more erect at maturity, reaching a height and spread of four to six feet when fully grown.

The leaves are egg- to football-shaped with finely serrated margins, and the greenish-yellow flowers bloom inconspicuously in early summer.

But its crimson, warty, and capsuled fruits are the real show-stopper. These fruits are gorgeous when they emerge in fall, but they look even better when they split open upon ripening to reveal five orange seeds.

These strawberry-looking fruits and the way they burst open to expose the seeds they contain have inspired at least two additional nicknames for American euonymus: “Strawberry Bush” and “Hearts A’busting.”

In the landscape, these ornamentals shine in native gardens or when placed on the edges of woodlands as naturalized plantings.

They’re very attractive to songbirds and small mammals, so keep them away from parts of the garden where you don’t want animals to munch.

2. Burning Bush

No Euonymus list is complete without the burning bush, E. alatus. Arguably the poster child of the genus, this deciduous shrub is native to Korea, Japan, China, and eastern Russia.

It thrives in Zones 4 to 8, and grows to a maximum height and width of 15 to 20 feet. You can learn more about growing burning bush in our guide.

The narrow, almost wispy foliage is bluish-green in summer, and turns a bright red in autumn.

The flowers are brown and ornamentally insignificant when they bloom in spring, but the pink-capsuled, orange seeds that emerge in fall more than make up for it.

While not necessarily a showstopper like other species on this list, this compact shrub has the advantage of fitting into tight garden spaces that are too snug for a larger Euonymus.

It also works well in cottage gardens and as an accentuating border for flower beds. This dwarf species won’t shield your backyard from your neighbors like an E. alatus might, but for the die-hard Euonymus gardener, it’s worth having in your collection.

4. Eastern Wahoo

Without question, the award for “Most Amusing Common Name” definitely goes to this one, for the plant also known as E. atropurpureus.

This deciduous shrub is native across the eastern regions of North America, and is ideally grown in Zones 3 to 7. On average, it grows 10 to 15 feet in height, and has an irregularly-shaped crown.

The atropurpureus part of its name references the non-showy, purple flowers and the almost purplish, deep red shade of the autumn leaves.

The bright red, capsuled fruits provide visual interest when they appear in fall, and are arguably the best-looking part of the plant.

All in all, it kinda looks like a shaggier-looking burning bush, to be frank – which is why another one of its common names is the burning bush, confusingly enough.

Ornamental uses include native gardens, woodland plantings, and informal hedges or screens.

Plus, the more natural-looking unkemptness of an eastern wahoo might be a breath of fresh air compared to heavily manicured burning bushes that are often overused in landscapes.

5. European

Most at home in Zones 4 to 7, E. europaeus reaches 12 to 30 feet in height and 10 to 25 feet in width. Hailing from eastern Europe and western Asia, it has since made its way across Europe and into North America.

This deciduous plant starts out life as an upright shrub, but it spreads and takes on a more rounded habit with age.

The leaves are pretty standard for the genus: football-shaped, with rounded to serrate margins, and a spectacular reddish color in autumn. The small, insignificant flowers emerge in spring and summer, and the capsuled pink fruits burst with orange seeds in fall.

With the landscape versatility of E. alatus and the showy fruits of E. americanus, this plant carves out a solid ornamental niche for itself.

Notable cultivars include ‘Albus,’ which has white fruits instead of pink, and ‘Red Ace,’ which produces rosy-red fruits and even more brilliant orange seeds.

6. Fleshy-Flowered Spindletree

Quite possibly the most beautiful entry on this list, the fleshy-flowered spindletree (E. carnosus) is native to southwestern China, Taiwan, the Himalayas, and parts of Japan.

Growing best in Zones 4 to 7, this deciduous shrub typically reaches heights of 12 to 16 feet and spreads of eight to 10 feet. Occasionally, it’ll grow 25 to 30 feet tall.

The creamy-white, fragrant, thick flower clusters emerge in summer with a corymb structure: the flower heads have longer and longer stalks the further they are from the center of the arrangement, which keeps them level with each other. Kind of like a Hanukkah menorah, I suppose.

These flowers produce pink, four-valved, capsuled fruits in autumn, which split open to reveal showy orange-coated seeds.

The glossy, dark green leaves are three to seven inches long with a magnolia-esque thickness, and turn a beautiful purplish-red in autumn. When the leaves drop, the gorgeous gray bark is fully revealed, offering wintertime interest.

Honestly, the only downside of growing this plant is how hard it is to locate, commercially… but no worthwhile treasure is easily found!

7. Hamilton’s Spindletree

Choosing E. hamiltonianus is a great way to shake things up if you need a visual palette-cleanser from standard Euonymus leaves.

Hailing from Korea and Japan, Hamilton’s spindletree is most comfortable in Zones 4 to 7.

The foliage is unique for a Euonymus: the surfaces are rough, the margins are wavy, and the top halves of the leaves are wider than the basal halves. In fall, they change color from a dark green to an attractive purplish-red.

Growing 10 to 15 feet tall and spreading eight to 12 feet, this deciduous shrub/tree has spring-blooming, white flower clusters that are somewhat showy. Come autumn, these give way to reddish-pink fruit capsules which house orange-coated seeds.

8. Japanese

E. japonicus is native to Japan and Korea, and grows best in Zones 6 to 9.

It typically grows 10 to 15 feet tall and attains half of that in spread. Though rare, it can reach 25 feet in height in ideal conditions. The foliage is dense and glossy, while the flowers and fruits are non-ornamental, lacking showiness.

The flowers, with yellowish-green petals and purple anthers, aren’t particularly showy when they emerge in spring.

However, these flowers give way to smooth, yellow-pink fruits that produce white seeds coated with an orangish-red in fall, which are pretty showy.

This is a pretty cool plant overall, especially if you’d like a change from the standard red color palette of the autumn foliage of other varieties, or want something with ornamental seeds that hang around after the leaves fall.

11. Wintercreeper

Yet another east Asian native, E. fortunei is best cultivated in Zones 5 to 9.

It seems that the theme of this evergreen plant is variability: it has a height range of three to 20 feet, a spread ranging from five to 60 feet, and it’s a mounding shrub that’ll also climb and/or crawl with adventitious roots, if given the chance.

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