Euonymus elatus, also known as burning bush, is known for its red leaves in fall. From the biblical miracle of the burning bush that was not consumed in front of Moses, the red leaves seem to be on fire with their colorful brilliance.
As one of God’s crayons, burning bush is easy to grow and care for. In full sun to part shade it can be found growing nicely year by year, in average water conditions. Useful in hedges, screens, and other plantings, E. alatus is immune to scale additionally.
As a beautiful, useful, and easy to grow crayon of God’s, the escape of E. elatus from cultivation to naturalize in 21 states could almost incite religious paranoia. Native to eastern Russia, Japan, China, and Korea, it was brought to the United States around 1860 as an ornamental. Birds eat the fruits and disperse the seeds.
Sources:
The New York Botanical Garden Illustrated Encyclopedia of Horticulture, 1981
