| Description | Dwarf Burning Bush (Euonymus alatus compacta) One of the more popular landscape shrubs because of its red fall foliage color. Is considered invasive in some areas.
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| Pronunciation | (you-ON-i-mus)(a-LA-tus) |
| Plant Type | Shrubs Deciduous, Site author's observations |
| Hardiness Zone | 4 |
| Sunlight | Will tolerate some shade but best in at least 1/2 day to full day of sun. The best fall color is produced in full sun. |
| Moisture | average |
| Soil & Site | average |
| Flowers | The flowers are not ornamentally important. Some shrubs will produce a capsule fruit. The amount of these seems to vary from year to year. The ornamental part of the fruit is the orange-red seed that is exposed when the capsule opens or splits. |
| Fruit | Orange-red seed that is exposed when the capsule opens or splits. |
| Leaves | Leaves are green in the summer, bright red in the fall (hence Burning Bush). |
| Stems | Branches will produce corky winged projections. In the compact variety, it seems less pronounced. This is where the common name of Winged Burning Bush. |
| Dimensions | This is not a small shrub; it can reach 8-10 feet, but is smaller than the regular Burning Bush. I have one that is 7-8 feet tall with a spread of 8 feet. I prune this each year to control the size. |
| Maintenance | Very little, it can be easily pruned to keep to size. |
| Propagation | cuttings |
| Native Site | The species Burning Bush (Euonymus alatus) is native to Northeastern Asia, Japan, and Central China |
| Misc Facts | Euonymus alatus has become invasive in some areas. The plant in my yard produces a plethora of seedlings underneath, but I have never seen seedlings pop up in other areas of the yard. (as of over 20 years as of 2026) |
| Author's Notes | This is a very popular shrub because of its vivid red fall foliage color. There seems to be a big variation in this color ranging from pink to fire red. This may be site or clone related? It also seems to be a shrub that may take a few years to get established before it starts putting on substantial growth. |
| Notes & Reference | #01-Manual of Woody Landscape Plants (Michael Dirr),#03-The Hillier Manual of Trees and Shrubs (Hillier Nursery), #274-Site Authors' observations and growing experiences |
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