Strawberry bush

My strawberry bush, Euonymous americana, showing some of the "fruits" which give the plant its most common name.

This is the third year that I've had the strawberry bush in my garden. This native perennial shrub can get up to six feet tall, but mine isn't nearly that size yet. Four feet maybe. Last spring the plant was covered in rather insignificant yellowish-green blossoms and now it is full of the much more significant and noticeable red, warty fruits that do, in fact, look quite a bit like strawberries. When the pods mature, around this time of year, they burst open revealing the red seeds inside and also revealing how the plant got another of its common names, "bursting heart" or "hearts-a-burstin'-love."  

The pod on the right has matured and burst open to show the shiny red seeds. The one on the left still has a ways to go.

In the wild, the seeds of this shrub are allegedly consumed by wildlife such as Wild Turkeys and various songbirds and deer like it so well that they will keep it grazed to the ground, which can eventually extirpate the plant from an area where there are lots of deer. I have not noticed any of the wildlife in my yard making use of the plant, but perhaps that will change this winter.

In homeopathic and traditional medicine, the plant has uses as a laxative and as treatment for various problems of the intestines and abdominal area.  But probably its greatest use today is as an ornamental shrub, and it can be quite ornamental especially in the late fall and winter garden, with its bright green stems and red seed pods.

It seems very tolerant and forgiving regarding soil and growing conditions. It gets very minimal care in my garden. I pretty much just plopped it into the bed three years ago and it has been on its own since. I did provide some supplemental water during our almost two year drought, but with the increased rain this year, it hasn't been watered and it has thrived. It's been a fun plant to have around and to get to know.

If you are looking for an unusual native plant to add to your garden, take a look at the strawberry bush. It might be just what your garden needs.

Strawberry bush

We gardeners tend to be quirky people. Each of us gardens for our own individual reasons and we select plants for our gardens based on that individuality. We don't always grow plants because they are decorative or floriferous or produce a lot of tasty fruit. Sometimes we grow a plant simply because it is an interesting plant with some uses that appeal to us. That's my excuse for growing the strawberry bush, Euonymus americana.

This is a native American plant, a perennial shrub that can grow up to six feet tall. It tends to be a bit rangy in its growth. Its leaves turn dark red in autumn and my plant held on to most of those leaves throughout the winter.

Its flowers are minuscule and easily overlooked.


Here is one of its flowers, a five-petaled affair that looks like a spot of something on the leaf.

When the flowers fade, the shrub produces tiny red fruits that give the bush its common name.


Here are some of the "strawberries" on my strawberry bush. These tiny berries ripen in the fall and split to expose bright red seeds. These seeds are sometimes eaten by songbirds, although they are not as favored as some of the other wild berries.

In addition to its usefulness to wildlife, this plant has several uses to humans, as well. The seeds, for example, are a strong laxative and they have other benefits for various abdominal complaints. The bark, when brewed as a tea, is used as a diuretic, expectorant, and tonic. It has also been used in the treatment of malaria and liver complaints. The powdered bark, when applied to the scalp, supposedly eliminates dandruff!

I can't vouch for any of these medicinal uses since I haven't tried them, but I find it intriguing that one plant should have so many different functions in folk medicine. For me, though, the attraction is simply growing the plant itself as a part of a habitat garden, to observe how wildlife is attracted to it and uses it. That is the reason that I purchased my plant last fall on a trip to Buchanan's Native Plants.

So far, I'm enjoying having the plant in my garden. It bears close watching though, because it is rather unobtrusive. Thus, I walked by the plant today, glanced at it, and realized that it is in full bloom! If I had blinked, I would have missed it.

So forget about your hibiscus or azalea or that showy amaryllis. If you are looking for a quirky plant to fit your quirky gardening personality, a plant that will fit right in with a natural setting in your garden, you might consider the strawberry bush.