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.