Myriad Botanical Gardens - Oklahoma City, USA

Common name: Strawberry Bush

Family: Celastraceae (Bittersweet family, Staff-tree family)

Distribution: North America

Life form: Deciduous shrub/sub-shrub

Comments: This Oklahoma native shrub is rather unassuming to the eye until autumn rolls around. Its bountiful crop of fruit starts rough textured and light pink. Over the course of a month they deepen to a nearly ruby color then burst open to reveal bright orange seeds. The autumn foliage can often turn a mix of light pink and creamy white. In the winter, all the stems are a deep green, which provides some color and interest.