CELASTRACEAE - - Bittersweet Family

Euonymus atropurpureus Jacquin var. atropurpureus — American Wahoo

American Wahoo (Euonymus atropurpureus) - Erect shrub or tree becoming 8m tall; leaf blade elliptic, oval, ovate, or obovate, 5—16cm long, short acuminate, serrate; calyx about 4mm wide; sepals usually 4, in unequal pairs; corolla mostly less than 1cm wide; petals dark-purple; filaments arising from the top of the disk; anthers less than 1mm wide; seed body 8—9mm long. The white heart-wood, often tinged with yellow, is very close-grained, heavy, and hard. The dangling fruits are pinkish-purple.

Habitat:

Bottomland forests, riverbanks, mostly on rich alluvial sediments, or on slopes over mafic or calcareous rocks.

Habitat information from:
Weakley, Alan S., Flora of the Southern and Mid-Atlantic States, Working Draft of 21 May 2015.

The range of Euonymus atropurpureus (American Wahoo)

Kartesz, J.T., The Biota of North America Program (BONAP). 2015. North American Plant Atlas. (http://bonap.net/napa). Chapel Hill, N.C. [maps generated from Kartesz, J.T. 2015. Floristic Synthesis of North America, Version 1.0. Biota of North America Program (BONAP). (in press)].

The Georgia range of Euonymus atropurpureus (American Wahoo)

Zomlefer, W.B., J.R. Carter, & D.E. Giannasi. 2014 (and ongoing). The Atlas of Georgia Plants. University of Georgia Herbarium (Athens, Georgia) and Valdosta State University Herbarium (Valdosta, Georgia). Available at: http://www.georgiaherbaria.org/.