Winter Creeper Euonymus fortunei (Turczaninow) Handel-Mazzetti var. radicans (Siebold ex Miquel) RehderNon-native  -  Invasive    Synonyms: Climbing Euonymus, Euonymus fortunei radicans, Euonymus radicans, Wintercreeper Euonymus.
Kingdom Plantae   >   Division Tracheophyta   >   Class Magnoliopsida   >   Order Celastrales   >   Family Celastraceae   >   Genus Euonymus   

Status:

Euonymus fortunei is a vigorous, evergreen, perennial vine that was introduced from China, Japan and Korea. It invades forest openings and margins, where it grows along the ground, crowding out herbaceous plants and woody seedlings, and climbs high into tree canopies by clinging to the bark with aerial rootlets. This vine occurs in natural areas in most of the eastern United States.

Description:

The leaves of Euonymus fortunei are small, opposite, dark green (sometimes red beneath), oval, with small teeth. They have light-colored veins. The flowers are small, five-petaled, and greenish. Fruits are small, round, pink-red capsules. They split open to reveal seeds having red-orange arils.

There are 235 records in the project database.

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Winter Creeper in Baltimore Co., Maryland (1/24/2020). Photo by Matthew Beziat. (MBP list)

Winter Creeper in Howard Co., Maryland (10/22/2016). Photo by Bill Harms. (MBP list)

Winter Creeper (fruit and leafy stem) in Montgomery Co., Maryland (2/9/2014). Photo by Jane Hill. (MBP list)

Winter Creeper (fruit) in Montgomery Co., Maryland (2/9/2014). Photo by Jane Hill. (MBP list)

Winter Creeper (habitat) in Howard Co., Maryland (3/14/2016). Photo by John Hall. (MBP list)

Winter Creeper growing in Kent Co., Maryland (3/26/2016). Photo by Nancy Martin. (MBP list)

Winter Creeper completely masking a tree trunk in Bethesda, Montgomery Co., Maryland (11/12/2013). Photo by Jane Hill. (MBP list)

Winter Creeper in Montgomery Co., Maryland (3/15/2021). (c) johnbotany, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by John Hall. (MBP list)

Winter Creeper in Prince George's Co., Maryland (3/11/2018). Photo by Cynthia Bravo. (MBP list)

Winter Creeper (with fruit) in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland (12/26/2014). Photo by Bill Hubick. (MBP list)

Winter Creeper fruit in Anne Arundel Co., Maryland (12/26/2014). Photo by Bill Hubick. (MBP list)

Winter Creeper, showing reddish color that leaf undersides can acquire in winter, in Montgomery Co., Maryland (2/6/2015). Photo by Jane Hill. (MBP list)

Winter Creeper growing in Kent Co., Maryland (4/22/2016). Photo by Nancy Martin. (MBP list)

Winter Creeper on a Virginia Pine trunk in Montgomery Co., Maryland (2/9/2014). Photo by Jane Hill. (MBP list)

Winter Creeper in Howard Co., Maryland (2/19/2017). Photo by John Hall. (MBP list)

Winter Creeper crossing Poison Ivy in Montgomery Co., Maryland (11/29/2014). The Winter Creeper goes from lower right to upper left; Poison Ivy goes from lower left to upper right. Photo by Jane Hill. (MBP list)

Winter Creeper in Kent Co., Maryland (3/18/2017). Photo by Jim Brighton. (MBP list)

Winter Creeper (roots) in Howard Co., Maryland (3/14/2016). Photo by John Hall. (MBP list)

Winter Creeper in Montgomery Co., Maryland (11/12/2014). Photo by Jane Hill. (MBP list)

Winter Creeper in Howard Co., Maryland (2/19/2017). Photo by John Hall. (MBP list)

Winter Creeper in Howard Co., Maryland (3/15/2016). Photo by John Hall. (MBP list)

Winter Creeper growing in Howard Co., Maryland (1/25/2020). Photo by Matthew Beziat. (MBP list)

Winter Creeper in Baltimore Co., Maryland (5/20/2016). Photo by Kirsten Johnson. (MBP list)

Winter Creeper in Howard Co., Maryland (1/18/2017). Photo by Clayton G. Koonce. (MBP list)

Winter Creeper in Washington Co., Maryland (3/14/2020). (c) timgacquin, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC). Photo by timgacquin via iNaturalist. (MBP list)

Winter Creeper in Montgomery Co., Maryland (3/18/2017). Photo by Ashley Bradford. (MBP list)


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MBP marks as "Invasive" any taxon listed in the Maryland Invasive Species Council (MISC) list of Invasive Species of Concern in Maryland. You can read their criteria and review the lists here: https://mdinvasives.org/species-of-concern/.

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