2. Euonymus americanus L. (strawberry bush, brook euonymus)
Pl. 350 a–c; Map
1505
Plants erect or
ascending shrubs with often spreading branches, 1–2 m tall, the lowermost
branches occasionally rooting. Twigs green, 4-angled but not winged. Leaves
relatively thin and herbaceous, deciduous, subsessile, the petiole to 1 mm
long. Leaf blades 2–9 cm long, 1–4 cm wide, lanceolate to elliptic or ovate,
narrowed or tapered at the base, narrowed or tapered to a usually sharply
pointed tip, the margins finely and usually bluntly toothed. Inflorescences
axillary clusters of 2 or 3 or solitary flowers, often all but 1 flower aborting
during development. Sepals 5, 1–2 mm long. Petals 5, 2–4 mm long, 2–3 mm wide,
broadly spatulate with a short, stalklike base, greenish yellow, sometimes
tinged with purple or brown, the margins mostly entire. Fruits 14–16 mm long, 3–5-lobed
most of their length, the valves strongly warty, pink to red or purplish red.
Seeds 1–6 per locule, 4–5 mm long. 2n=64. April–June.
Uncommon, mostly
in the Mississippi Lowlands Division and eastern portion of the Ozarks (eastern
U.S. west to Missouri and Texas).
Swamps, bottomland forests, mesic upland forests in ravines, and bases of
sheltered bluffs.
This species is
distinguished by its erect habit, more or less elliptic leaves, and strongly
tuberculate, usually red fruits that, when ripe, bear a superficial resemblance
to strawberries. Steyermark (1963) noted that the leaves tend to be a darker
green than those of the other native species and that it is an attractive shrub
in the garden. It is becoming increasingly available in plant nurseries. As
discussed below, E. americanus is very similar to E. obovatus,
and the two taxa were considered one species by Ma (2001).