Good Burning Bush or the Bad One – Plant Names Can Cross Over Between Native, Non-Native

While I was doing some internet surfing this spring I came across some articles discussing beneficial native plants to add to your landscape. I initially skimmed over the content, but noticed a hefty number of comments on the article and decided to see what the cause of the discussion was.

Many were quick to point out that article had listed a “burning bush” as a recommended species to plant. The concern was based on the extremely invasive species Euonymus alatus, which also has the common name “burning bush.”

What I quickly realized is some very beneficial native plants can easily be confused with highly invasive non-native plants simply because of overlapping common names. This can lead to a lot of confusion while trying to make decisions when purchasing plants.

“Burning bush” and “burning bush” are two very different plants and are on the opposite end of the spectrum in their value as a plant in our landscape and their associated ecosystem benefits. Seems easy enough to understand right? Obviously, having plants with shared common names can be incredibly confusing.