Euonymus alatus (Thunb.) Siebold
Euonymus alata (Thunb.) Siebold orth. var.
Burning Bush, Winged Spindle, Winged Euonymus
Burning bush, so-called for its brilliant red fall foliage, is a native of northeastern Asia. It was introduced to North America in the 1860s as an ornamental plant. It spreads rapidly and is now classified as an invasive.
Identification: This shrub grows up to 10' (3 m) tall. Leaves are 1-3" (2.5-7.6 cm) long, and about ½-¾" (1.3-1.9 cm) wide. Branches have unusual “wings”—four brown corklike protrusions running the length of each branch. This is the easiest way to identify this euonymus. Flowers are inconspicuous. Berries are oval in shape, sharply pointed at each end, and bright red-orange, encased in a capsule that may be yellow, pink, purple, or orange. Leaves turn bright red or red-purple in the fall.
Edibility: Poisonous I found inconsistent information about this, but parts of this plant may be poisonous if ingested.
Euonymus alatus on www.carolinanature.com
Euonymus alatus at Illinois Wildflowers
Euonymus alatus at the Bugwood Wiki
Euonymus alatus on Invasive.org, Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health
Euonymus alatus at the University of Connecticut Plant Database
Euonymus alatus on Plants for a Future, a resource and information centre for edible and otherwise useful plants
Euonymus alatus on Wikimedia Commons
Euonymus alatus on the USDA Forest Service's Fire Effects Information Database
Euonymus alatus description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 2 Jan 2019.