The distinctive fruits of Strawberry Bush, also known as Hearts-a-Bustin (Euonymus americanus), pop open in early fall and persist after the leaves have fallen. The fleshy seeds are eaten by birds, but are poisonous to humans. The most common effects are nausea and severe diarrhea – certainly a good enough reason not to try! They are very interesting to look at though and provide a unique splash of fall color in the Gardens. The entire plant is actually poisonous and the leaves and twigs are considered deadly for domestic sheep and cattle. However, white-tailed deer love to eat them and suffer no ill effect from doing so. Ive seen the plant described as an ice-cream plant for deer because they love it so much. If you plant it in an area that has a lot of deer, it may not survive unless you take measures to protect it from browsing. Until its spectacular fruits pop open, this shade-loving shrub stays fairly inconspicuous throughout much of the year. It blooms with modest greenish-yellow flowers in early summer. It is not quite known who the main pollinators are, but Ive seen ants busily crawling all over these flowers at the Gardens.
Posted on: Tue, 25 Nov 2014 01:04:00 +0000
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