Celastraceae
Burningbush
Euonymus atropurpureus
- Family
- Celastraceae
- Genus
- Euonymus
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Common names
By language (4)
- Arabic
- مضاض أرجواني داكن
- arz
- مضاض ارجوانى داكن
- Chinese
- 暗紫卫矛
- English
- Burningbush
Synonyms
- Euonymus atropurpureus var. cheatumii Lundell
- Euonymus atropurpureus var. grandifolius Raf.
- Euonymus atropurpureus var. latifolius Raf.
- Euonymus atropurpureus var. oblongifolius Raf.
- Euonymus caroliniensis Marshall
- Euonymus latifolius Marshall
- Euonymus tristis Salisb.
Flowers
- In flower
- May to June (from 425 flowering iNaturalist observations worldwide)
- Flower colour
- purple (USDA PLANTS Database)
Characteristics
- Growth habit
- Shrub, Tree
- Lifespan
- Perennial
- In the US and Canada
- Canada: native, Lower 48 states: native
Toxicity: Moderate, as listed by the USDA PLANTS Database (2025-05-29). USDA rates how toxic a plant is to people or livestock; it is not a pet-safety rating, so ask a vet or poison line if a pet or child ate it.
Photos
FlowerPhoto: Paul Roots, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist 
FlowerPhoto: Kaden Slone, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist 
FlowerPhoto: Isaac Winkler, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist 
FlowerPhoto: Nathan Aaron, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist 
FruitPhoto: Sinéad Tuttle-Lerner, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist 
FruitPhoto: William J. Deml, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist 
Photo: Dwight Sipler from Stow, MA, USA, CC BY 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Jen, CC0, from iNaturalist 
Photo: Andrew C, CC BY 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Samantha Knight, CC BY 4.0, from iNaturalist 
Photo: Judy Gallagher, CC BY 2.0, from Wikimedia Commons 
Photo: Photo by David J. Stang, CC BY-SA 4.0, from Wikimedia Commons
More in Euonymus
- European spindletreeEuonymus europaeusCelastraceae
- Japanese spindletreeEuonymus japonicusCelastraceae
- BurningbushEuonymus alatusCelastraceae
- Euonymus verrucosusCelastraceae
- Fortune's spindleEuonymus fortuneiCelastraceae
- Broad-leaved spindleEuonymus latifoliusCelastraceae
- Hamilton's spindletreeEuonymus hamiltonianusCelastraceae
- Dwarf euonymusEuonymus nanusCelastraceae
- Bursting-heartEuonymus americanusCelastraceae
- Euonymus grandiflorusCelastraceae
- Euonymus angulatusCelastraceae
- Euonymus cochinchinensisCelastraceae
Sources: classification, synonyms from World Flora Online Plant List (2026-06, CC0 1.0); common names, popularity from Wikidata (2026-10-26, CC0 1.0); common names, US characteristics from USDA PLANTS Database (2025-05-29, CC0 1.0). About our plant data.