254. WAAHOO or burning bush (_Evonymus atropurpureus_ Jacq.) a medium to
tall shrub or small tree of low woodlands, not very common. Leaves:
opposite, simple, 2 to 5 inches long, tapering at both ends, finely
serrate, light green and often turning pinkish in autumn. Twigs: green
with gray stripes, often more or less 4-angled. Bark: smoothish, mottled
gray. Flowers: small, very dark red, 4-lobed, in May. Fruit: crimson,
not more than one in each lobe of 4-lobed rosy pod hanging from red,
threadlike stem, in winter. Wood: heavy, hard and close-grained. The
climbing bittersweet, native of Oklahoma and East Texas, is a member of
this family.
[Illustration: 254 waahoo]