A little tree, not at all related to the holly, but truly a cousin of the
bitter-sweet, has a rather surprising name. In summer it looks like a
wild plum tree, except for its fluted, ash-grey bark. The flowers have
purple petals, and look somewhat like potato blossoms. They would never
attract your attention as you pass the tree.
In the autumn the leaves turn yellow, and gradually the purple husks that
cover the scarlet berries split open, and curl back. Watch the gradual
opening of these husks, and notice, from some little distance, the
gradual reddening of the tree top, as the yellow leaves fall, and more
and more of the scarlet berries are revealed, as the husks curl and
shrink away from them. It is in this seed and its husk that the
resemblance and relationship of the burning bush and the bitter-sweet
vine is revealed.
The European spindle tree, and a number of Japanese and Chinese species,
are now planted in American gardens, and called by their genus name,
Evonymus. The red-fruited sorts all come under the common name, burning
bush, and they do burn with a steady flame when winter has robbed the
gardens of colour. Evergreens form a beautiful background for these ruddy
little trees.