Eastern Wahoo
 

Mature Size, Growth, Longevity

Average mature size of 12-24' tall and 10-25' wide. Grows into a multi-stemmed, large shrub or small tree with wide, flat-topped, irregular crown. Can grow to 40' tall and 35' wide, Often has multiple trunks, with upright-arching branches. Medium to fast growth rate. Medium lifespan, 100-200 years.

Native Range

Kentucky Native — Native from New York to Florida, west to Minnesota, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas, including most of Kentucky. Introduced 1756. Occurs as a small understory tree in the woods and along streams.

Flower and Fruit Details

Flowers are bright red, purplish-red or dark purple, 4-petaled, 0.33" diameter, in June (after the leaves), in branched cymes, with 7-15 flowers per cluster. Fruits are showy, smooth, crimson red to fuchsia-pink capsules, 0.6" diameter, deeply 4-lobed. Seed is brown inside the scarlet-red seed coats (arils).

Leaf and Bark Features

Deciduous: Leaves are simple, opposite, very finely serrated, dark green on top, pubescent beneath, 1.5-5" long and 0.75-2.25" wide, elliptic or ovate-elliptic in shape, acuminate at tip, with a petiole 1/3-2/3" long. Leaves have prominent veins, and a dull surface. Reddish purple, carmine pink to bright red fall color in late October or early November. Stems are slender, green, glabrous, and very slightly 4-angled, with up to 4 faint, corky ridges or vertical lines running down the stems. Stems greenish-purple, changing to ashy gray, with thin, minute flaky scales.

Culture and Care

Zones 4-9. Needs full sun to part or full shade, and moist, but NOT wet, poorly-drained soils. Best in sandy loam or silt loam soil. Tolerates pH 6.6-7.5. Prefers well-drained soil. Transplant balled & burlapped in early spring. Intermediate tolerance to flooding, heat, drought, soil compaction, and mine spoils. Susceptible to scale insects, but it can be controlled by spray applications. Powdery mildew is often a problem as well.

Strengths, Weaknesses, Other Facts

3-season interest: Spring, summer and fall. Seldom seen in gardens or landscapes.

Suggested Uses

Could be used in a rain garden, woodland gardens, native plant gardens, bird/wildlife plantings, or as an informal hedge or screen. .

Taxa and Plants of this Species at BCA