Vascular Plants of North Carolina
Account for Japanese Spindle-tree - Euonymus japonicus   Thunberg
Members of Celastraceae:
Members of Euonymus with account distribution info or public map:
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Section 6 » Order Celastrales » Family Celastraceae
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AuthorThunberg
DistributionThere are reports and specimens from across the state, but only collections from Durham and Mecklenburg counties are from non-cultivated plants. Without images and label data, some specimens had to be eliminated here. A specimen from Catawba County (herbarium NCU) has large, open panicles and elliptical leaves with a driptip; it needs ID verification.

Native of Japan; in N.A. often planted in maritime situations and homesites.
AbundanceApparently rare.
HabitatRoadside borders of woods, spontaneous from campus plantings.
PhenologyFlowering in July; fruiting in September-October.
IdentificationUsually a shrub, but can be a small slender tree. Leaves are ovate or obovate, evergreen, margins crenate, the tip rounded. Leaves are 5-10 cm long vs. max 5.5 cm in fortunei. Flowers grow in small axillary clusters, are small and with 4 white petals.
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Other Common Name(s)
State RankSE
Global RankGNR
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USACE-agcp
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