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Burning Bush

Bill Johnson, www.nps.gov

Common Name: Burning Bush
Scientific Name: Euonymus alatus
Origin: Northern Asia, Japan, Central China

Description

Burning bush is an ornamental invasive that escapes into the wild. It is part of the regulated species from Part 575 of the NYS DEC regulated and prohibited species. It is a deciduous shrub that can grow up to 20 feet tall. The plant has winged stems with dark green pairs of leaves along the stem that turn red-purple in the fall. The fruits in the summer are small, round, and red-purple.

Habitat

The burning bush grows in forested areas, coastal scrubland, and prairies.

Threat

With no natural predators or suppressors, it out competes native vegetation like native woody and herbaceous plants with its dense thickets.

Management

Stopping the planting of the burning bush, as well as pulling seedlings or cutting and treating with herbicide are some management tactics.

Distribution: View Map

The burning bush is found in much of the northeastern U.S. and it present in the FL-PRISM.

Invasive Rank