Euonymus ATROPURPUREUS

Euonymus ATROPURPUREUS - Eastern wahoo, Burning bush, Dark purple spindle tree, Euonymus atropurpureus.

Can be trained as bonsai!

Euonymus is a genus of deciduous and evergreen shrubs and small trees in the staff tree family (Celastraceae), comprising about 130 species distributed in broadleaf and mixed forests of temperate and subtropical regions of both hemispheres - occurring rarely in the tropics.

The shoots are four-angled or rounded, covered with greenish or brownish bark, sometimes with thin longitudinal ridges or sharp corky wings. Leaves are opposite and smooth.

The flowers are small, inconspicuous, pale green or brownish, opening after the leaves unfold. Far more ornamental are the capsule fruits, which in autumn turn from their pale green summer coloring to burgundy, purple, scarlet, crimson, or yellow. Dehiscing, they reveal seeds covered with a fleshy aril of orange, red, or brown color - hanging from the opened capsules on slender stalks, the seeds strongly resemble earrings.

The eastern wahoo is a species native to North America, from southern Ontario to the central and eastern United States. A tall shrub or small tree with a narrow crown roughly half the plant's height, with light green summer leaves.

In autumn, the foliage takes on a brilliant carmine tint, while scarlet berries in unusual infructescences hanging on long stalks stand out strikingly against the still-green crown.

Seeds of the eastern wahoo are smallish, rounded, covered with a dense fleshy aril of orange-red color - it is this aril that makes the dehisced capsule fruits so ornamental. For uniform germination, seeds require cold moist stratification; without it, germination rates will be low.

Seeds are stratified for 3 months at a temperature of 4-5 °C (39-41 °F) - at home, the bottom shelf of a refrigerator is suitable. After stratification, seeds are held for 1-2 hours in a 1% potassium permanganate solution, then soaked for 24 hours in warm water with the addition of a growth stimulant: SUPERthrive, HB-101, Aminozol, Epin, or Zircon, then sown on the surface and covered with a layer of substrate about 1 cm (0.4 in) thick. They are moistened with a spray bottle, covered with plastic wrap, and germinated in the light at a temperature of 21-22 °C (70-72 °F). Seedlings need ventilation; it is important to avoid overwatering and desiccation of the sowing.

Under favorable conditions, the first sprouts emerge in as little as 2-3 weeks; main germination is usually completed within 4-6 weeks, while individual seeds may delay longer. After the appearance of several true leaves, seedlings are pricked out into individual pots.

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Euonymus, although light-loving, is not particularly demanding regarding lighting - it tolerates partial shade, though when grown in shade, autumn leaves lose the brightness of their coloration.

In summer it prefers temperatures up to 20 °C (68 °F), and in winter - 2-8 °C (36-46 °F).

It does not tolerate stagnant moisture or severe drying out of the soil. Watering is even, moderate in summer and very moderate in winter.

It tolerates well-drained, not excessively dry, neutral or slightly alkaline soils; using acidic soils with added lime is possible. It prefers a fertile substrate. It transplants easily in early spring.

Regular feeding with organic and mineral fertilizers is required.

The plant tolerates pruning remarkably well, which makes it convenient material for bonsai.