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Euonymus alatus
Euonymus alatus (Celastraceae) is a deciduous shrub native to east Asia, noted for its corky, winged stems and shocking cerise-pink autumn colour.
Winged burning bush produces four-angled, initially photosynthetic stems that gradually develop distinctive, thin, corky wings. Flowers are small, but are followed by hanging, dark red capsular fruits that partially dehisce when ripe, exposing scarlet, arillate seeds; each seed hangs by a funicular thread (the funiculus is the stalk that attaches the ovary to the placenta in the angiosperm fruit). Birds are attracted to the brightly coloured, spinning arils, ingest them, and disperse the seeds.
