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Running Strawberry-bush

Euonymus obovatus

In the Carolinas and Georgia, found in cove forests, northern hardwood forests, other moist forests, especially in boulderfields, where sometimes locally abundant. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition What its natural habitat tells you

56
Strong

Native to Arkansas. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 94%

Height
Up to about 1.5 feet
Light
Partial shade, Full shade
Soil moisture
Dry to wet
Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Life cycle
Perennial
Leaves
Deciduous
Bloom
May to June
Fruiting season
September to October

Not yet recorded · Spread

Recorded in 5 Arkansas counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

Moist forests

Forests on moist but not wet ground, such as rich slopes and ravines.

All habitats

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

13CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including AR

Genus host records with ranges including AR · Euonymus

  • Ectropis crepusculariaThe Small Engrailed, Saddleback Looper
  • Herpetogramma thestealisZigzag Herpetogramma, Subtle-Feathered Grass Moth
  • Hyalophora cecropiaCecropia Silkmoth, Cecropia Moth
  • Hypena scabraGreen Cloverworm Bomolocha, Black Snout
  • Hyphantria cuneaFall Webworm
  • Morrisonia confusaConfused Woodgrain
  • Morrisonia latexFluid Arches, Fluid Mamestra
  • Orgyia leucostigmaWhite-Marked Tussock Moth
  • Pandemis limitataThree-Lined Leafroller Moth
  • Platynota flavedanaBlack-Shaded Platynota
Show all 13
  • Spodoptera eridaniaSouthern Armyworm Moth
  • Yponomeuta multipunctellaAmerican Ermine Moth, Wahoo Moth
  • Herpetogramma theseusalis
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
2BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Euonymus

Individual names are not available yet.

Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
0Specialist beesPollen specialists
3BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Euonymus

  • Catharus guttatusHermit Thrush
  • Sialia sialisEastern Bluebird
  • Turdus migratoriusAmerican Robin
Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Celastraceae
Flower color
Green
Fruit begins
September
Fruit ends
October

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope
Also known as

Running Strawberry Bush

Conservation status

Arkansas rankS3
Global rankG5
AR statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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Sources