Euonymus grandiflorus Wall.

This species is very similar to Euonymus carnosus; however, it differs by having smaller leaves, larger flowers, and a Sino-Himalayan distribution, rather than Sino-Japanese. These two species hybridize across Guangxi, Hunan, and Hubei in SC China.

Deciduous shrubs to small trees, to 15 m tall; branches and twigs gray-green to gray-brown, terete, sturdy. Petiole 5-10 mm; leaf blade thickly papery to leathery, oblong-elliptic to obovate-elliptic, 4-10 × 2-4 cm, base cuneate or long attenuate, margin finely crenulate, apex obtuse or mucronulate; lateral veins 10-13 pairs, slightly curving forward, disappearing before reaching margin. Peduncle single or clustered, 2-3.5 cm, 1-3 × dichotomously branched with several to many flowers; pedicel 10-15 mm. Flowers 4-merous, 17-22 mm in diam.; sepals semirotund, persistent; petals yellow or brown-green, orbicular. Capsule with 4 right angles, brown or yellow-brown to red-brown, 1.2-1.4 × 1.1-1.4 cm. Seeds usually 2 per locule, sometimes 3, ellipsoid, dark brown, arillate. Fl. Mar-May, fr. Aug-Nov.

Himalaya (Kumaun to Bhutan), Khasia, N. Burma, W. & C. China.

Gansu, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hubei, Hunan, Shaanxi, Sichuan, Yunnan [Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Vietnam].

1500-1800 m

Forests, woodlands; 1400-3300 m.

Euonymus grandiflorus var. angustifolius Chen H. Wang; E. grandiflorus f. longipedunculatus C. Y. Chang; E. grandiflorus f. salicifolius Stapf & Ballard; E. mairei H. Léveillé.