Euonymus atropurpureus – Eastern Wahoo – 3-Gallon

A small understory tree of rich woods and stream valleys throughout most of eastern North America. While it occurs in Ulster County it is rare, and every tree that we’ve looked at turned out to be the European spindletree (E. europaeus), a similar looking escapee from cultivation. In shady areas it will send up root sprouts and form a thicket, behaving more like a large shrub. In the open it will become a dense, symmertrical, flat-topped small tree. The insignificant purple flowers give rise to four-parted seed capsules that turn pink as they are about to release their shiny red fruits. The fruits are only moderately attractive to birds so they remain ornamental for an extended period, often into winter. Like its non-native relative Burning Bush, fall color is an excellent red, but without the clashing magenta overtones. Not deer-resistant.