Euonymus atropurpureus Seeds | Eastern Wahoo
LATIN NAME: Euonymus atropurpureus
COMMON NAME: Eastern Wahoo, Burning Bush, Hearts Bursting with Love
Plant Profile
Known to gardeners as Eastern Wahoo, Euonymus atropurpureus is an upright, deciduous shrub in the staff-tree family, native to woodlands and stream banks of eastern north America. The eastern wahoo is a striking shrub of the North American woodland, and its autumn fruit has earned it affectionate name of Hearts Bursting with Love. In good conditions it grows to around Six metres. Pollinating insects take to the flowers at once, adding a little wildlife interest to its garden value. Each of these traits is modest on its own; together they make a garden-worthy plant.
Science & Biotechnology
Research touching on Euonymus atropurpureus ranges from the botany of the staff-tree family to practical horticulture, including seed handling, propagation and the selection of superior forms. The eastern wahoo has a real and distinguished place in the research. For researchers, plants like this one offer practical material for propagation studies and selection work.
Uses & Benefits
In the garden, Eastern Wahoo earns its place in borders, containers and mixed plantings, and it also rewards growers who raise plants for cutting, drying or kitchen use. Ecologically, the eastern wahoo is a generous shrub of the garden. Its small, inconspicuous flowers feed bees and insects, and its remarkable, pinkish-red capsules of scarlet seeds feed birds and wildlife, while its fine, leafy crown gives a fine cover and a shelter to the birds. Establishment is uncomplicated, and afterwards ordinary care suffices.
Spindle trees are brilliant autumn ornamentals; their bark and seeds are toxic and appear only in historical external folk remedies, so they are grown for color, not use.
Growing from Seed
Seed is the natural starting point for Eastern Wahoo, and the process is uncomplicated. Use a fine, free-draining seed compost, scatter the seed evenly, cover it lightly and hold it just moist in good light. Move strong seedlings into individual pots, keep them in good light, and set them out when the weather and their size agree.
Our Take
It is a solid representative of the Euonymus group, true to type from seed. Careful watering early on is rewarded by toughness at maturity.
Related Reading
Gardeners who grow Eastern Wahoo often pair it with these related subjects: