Wildflower (forb) · Celastraceae

Bursting-heart

Euonymus americanus

Bursting-heart is recorded as native to 22 states and territories in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in 762 counties of those states by USDA PLANTS.

Recorded native ranges can include long-established populations that spread from gardens; check your state’s native plant society list for local guidance. How native status is decided.

Key facts · USDA PLANTS

Bursting-heart at a glance

Native in: 762 counties, across 22 states and territories
Estimated cold hardiness: Zone 5a PLANTS minimum temperature −23°F
Mature height: 6 ft PLANTS mature height
Light and water: Sun to part shade High water use

Estimated cold hardiness: zone 5a. PLANTS gives a minimum temperature of −23°F; zone 5a winters bottom out at −20°F, the coldest half-zone that stays within that limit.

Counties where it is native

The 15 counties with the most ZIP codes among the 762 where it is listed.

Native counties by state

Alabama 62 counties
Arkansas 50 counties
Delaware 2 counties
District of Columbia 1 county
Florida 35 counties
Georgia 54 counties
Illinois 7 counties
Indiana 11 counties
Kentucky 75 counties
Louisiana 41 counties
Mississippi 51 counties
Missouri 6 counties
New Jersey 18 counties
New York 10 counties
North Carolina 78 counties
Ohio 6 counties
Pennsylvania 16 counties
South Carolina 38 counties
Tennessee 73 counties
Texas 17 counties
Virginia 86 counties
West Virginia 25 counties

Growing traits

Values from the PLANTS characteristics record. “Not recorded” means PLANTS has no value; nothing here is estimated except the zone.

Growth

Growth habit: Forb/herb, Subshrub
Duration: Perennial
Mature height: 6 ft
Growth rate: Moderate
Growth form: Multiple Stem
Shape: Erect
Lifespan: Moderate
Active growth period: Spring and Summer

Light and water

Shade tolerance: Intermediate (sun to part shade)
Moisture use: High water use
Drought tolerance: None
Tolerance of waterlogged soil: Low
Precipitation range: 35 to 70 in per year

Soil

Soil textures: Coarse, medium and fine
pH range: 5 to 6
Lime (CaCO₃) tolerance: None
Salinity tolerance: None
Fertility requirement: Medium
Minimum root depth: 8 in

Climate

Minimum temperature: −23°F
Estimated cold hardiness: Zone 5a and warmer
Minimum frost-free days: 120
Fire tolerance: Medium

Flowers, leaves and fruit

Flower color: Green
Showy flowers: No
Bloom period: Late Spring
Foliage color: Dark Green
Showy in fall: Yes
Keeps leaves: No
Fruit color: Yellow

Other

Toxicity: None
Nitrogen fixation: None
Nursery availability: Routinely Available
Family: Celastraceae
PLANTS symbol: EUAM9

Source & data date

Source: USDA NRCS PLANTS Database: county distribution records, native status and plant characteristics. CC0 (public domain dedication, per the data.gov catalog record).; Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP): native or introduced status by state. CC BY 3.0.; USGS US-RIIS (ver. 2.0): species listed as introduced are excluded. CC0.
Citation: USDA, NRCS. 2026. The PLANTS Database (https://plants.usda.gov, 11/04/2026). National Plant Data Team, Greensboro, NC USA.; Govaerts R. (ed.) (2026). WCVP: World Checklist of Vascular Plants. Facilitated by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Data file dated 2026-06-04, http://sftp.kew.org/pub/data-repositories/WCVP/ (retrieved 2026-11-04). Paper: Govaerts R. et al. (2021) The World Checklist of Vascular Plants, a continuously updated resource for exploring global plant diversity. Scientific Data 8, 215.
Data date: Retrieved from PLANTS on November 4, 2026; WCVP data file dated June 4, 2026.
Scope: Euonymus americanus (PLANTS symbol EUAM9).
Method: A species is listed when it is recorded as native to the state in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in the county by USDA PLANTS. Species PLANTS labels both native and introduced are listed separately. Full method · All sources

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