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Euonymus atropurpureus

Common name:	Wahoo	Family:	Celastraceae
Author:	Jacq.	Botanical references:	11, 43, 200
Synonyms:
Known Hazards:	The fruits, seed and bark are considered to be poisonous[222].
Range:	Eastern N. America - Ontario to Florida, Montana, Oklahoma and Nebraska.
Habitat:	Rich woods and thickets[43], the best specimens are found in deep rich humus soils[229]. Limstone soils, stream bottoms and woods in Texas[274].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	1	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	2

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	E. atropurpurea[B,P] Evonymus atropurpureus[L]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Burning Bush [E,H,L], Eastern Wahoo [P,E,DEN1], Indian Arrow-wood [H], Spindle Tree [H], Waahoo [L], Wahoo [H],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	atropurpureus = dark purple; purpureus = purple;
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Celastrales. Bittersweet family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	Europe; India; Us; Us(Amerindian); Us(Appalachia)

Physical Characteristics

A decidious shrub growing to 2.5m at a medium rate. It is hardy to zone 4. It is in flower in June, and the seeds ripen in October. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Insects. We rate it 1/5 for edibility and 2/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires dry or moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Woodland, Dappled Shade, Shady Edge.

Edible Uses

Fruit.

Although the fruit has sometimes been eaten, it is considered to be poisonous by some writers and so should definitely be avoided[213]. The fruit is about 15mm in diameter[200].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Alterative; Cardiac; Cathartic; Cholagogue; Diuretic; Emetic; Expectorant; Hepatic; Tonic.

Wahoo was used in various ways by the North American Indians, for example as an eye lotion, as a poultice for facial sores and for gynaecological conditions[254]. In current herbalism it is considered to be a gallbladder remedy with laxative and diuretic properties[254]. The bark, however, is toxic and should only be used under professional supervision, it should not be given to pregnant women or nursing mothers[254].
The stem and root bark is alterative, cardiac, cathartic, cholagogue, diuretic, expectorant, hepatic, laxative, stimulant and tonic[4, 21, 46, 61, 222]. The root bark is the part normally used, though bark from the stems is sometimes employed as a substitute[4]. In small doses it stimulates the appetite, in larger doses it irritates the intestines[4]. The bark is especially useful in the treatment of biliousness and liver disorders which follow or accompany fevers[4, 254] and for treating various skin disorders such as eczema which could arise from poor liver and gallbladder function[254]. It is also used as a tea in the treatment of malaria, liver congestion, constipation etc[222]. The powdered bark, applied to the scalp, was believed to eliminate dandruff[222].
The bark and the root contain digitoxin and have a digitalis-like effect on the heart[213, 222]. They have been used in the treatment of heart conditions[254].
The bark, which has a sweetish taste, is gathered in the autumn and can be dried for later use[213].
A tea made from the roots is used in cases of uterine prolapse, vomiting of blood, painful urination and stomach-aches[222].
The seed is emetic and strongly laxative[222].

Other Uses

Wood.

Wood - heavy, hard, tough, very close grained[82, 227]. It weighs 41lb per cubic foot[227], but is too small to be of commercial value[229].

Cultivation details

Thrives in almost any soil, including chalk, it is particularly suited to dry shaded areas[200]. Prefers a well-drained loamy soil[1]. Requires shade from the midday sun[1, 11].
A moderately fast-growing but short-lived tree in the wild[229].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame. Stored seed requires 8 - 12 weeks warm followed by 8 - 16 weeks cold stratification and can then be sown in a cold frame[78, 98]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 5 - 8cm long taken at a node or with a heel, July/August in a frame. Very easy[200].

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

Details of Medicinal Uses, Habitats, etc. in M. Grieve A Modern Herbal (1931) [4]
[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[PHARM] Phytochemical Data (common names, uses, countries) from Dr Duke's Phytochemical Database.
[DEN] Data _ Photos (Good Identification info) from the Virginia Tech's Dendrology Deptarments' Tree Fact Sheets.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Euonymus atropurpurea (a possible synonym).

[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.

References for Evonymus atropurpureus (a possible synonym).

References for the family Celastraceae.

To be included in the Flora of China.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[4] Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9
Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.

[11] Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981
A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.

[21] Lust. J. The Herb Book. Bantam books 1983 ISBN 0-553-23827-2
Lots of information tightly crammed into a fairly small book.

[43] Fernald. M. L. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co. 1950
A bit dated but good and concise flora of the eastern part of N. America.

[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.

[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.

[78] Sheat. W. G. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. MacMillan and Co 1948
A bit dated but a good book on propagation techniques with specific details for a wide range of plants.

[82] Sargent. C. S. Manual of the Trees of N. America. Dover Publications Inc. New York. 1965 ISBN 0-486-20278-X
Two volumes, a comprehensive listing of N. American trees though a bit out of date now. Good details on habitats, some details on plant uses. Not really for the casual reader.

[98] Gordon. A. G. and Rowe. D. C. f. Seed Manual for Ornamental Trees and Shrubs.
Very comprehensive guide to growing trees and shrubs from seed. Not for the casual reader.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[213] Weiner. M. A. Earth Medicine, Earth Food. Ballantine Books 1980 ISBN 0-449-90589-6
A nice book to read though it is difficult to look up individual plants since the book is divided into separate sections dealing with the different medicinal uses plus a section on edible plants. Common names are used instead of botanical.

[222] Foster. S. & Duke. J. A. A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. Eastern and Central N. America. Houghton Mifflin Co. 1990 ISBN 0395467225
A concise book dealing with almost 500 species. A line drawing of each plant is included plus colour photographs of about 100 species. Very good as a field guide, it only gives brief details about the plants medicinal properties.

[227] Vines. R.A. Trees of North Texas University of Texas Press. 1982 ISBN 0292780206
A readable guide to the area, it contains descriptions of the plants and their habitats with quite a bit of information on plant uses.

[229] Elias. T. The Complete Trees of N. America. Field Guide and Natural History. Van Nostrand Reinhold Co. 1980 ISBN 0442238622
A very good concise guide. Gives habitats, good descriptions, maps showing distribution and a few of the uses. It also includes the many shrubs that occasionally reach tree proportions.

[254] Chevallier. A. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants Dorling Kindersley. London 1996 ISBN 9-780751-303148
An excellent guide to over 500 of the more well known medicinal herbs from around the world.

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