Euonymus occidentalis aka Western Burningbush

Euonymus occidentalis, also known as western burning bush or western wahoo, is a mounding deciduous shrub or small tree that is native to western North America. It can reach heights of up to six meters and has thin, green, oval-shaped leaves that can be up to fourteen centimeters long. The plant produces clusters of up to five small flowers at the end of a long peduncle, with each flower having five rounded, mottled petals in colors ranging from red to pink to brown or white. The fruit is a rounded red-orange capsule with three bulging lobes, which open to reveal one seed in each of the three lobes, concealed in a red aril. Although the plant prefers moist locations, it also needs good drainage and can tolerate drought, some shade, and wet soils to a degree. Burning Bush is a good choice for cool, shaded woodland gardens or higher elevation, forested gardens. Euonymus occidentalis is the only member of its genus growing wild in California, with two disjunct locations corresponding to its two recognized varieties: Var. occidentalis is found along the coast from Santa Cruz northward, and in the Cascades and Sierra foothills, while Var. parishii is found far to the south in the Peninsular Range. Though not designated as rare, it is a somewhat uncommon plant.