China, Japan, Korea
"Unfortunately, many of the same characteristics that make E. alatus a successful ornamental in challenging planting locations also makes it potentially aggressive in natural environments. Although E. alatus is grown primarily for its dependable red fall foliage, its orange aril fruits are considered another important ornamental feature. Mature E. alatus plants can produce thousands of seeds annually that may be dispersed by birds, small mammals, and surface water runoff. Seeds may establish feral populations in areas located a considerable distance from the original plantings. E. alatus is currently considered invasive in many states in the eastern United States. Concern over the detrimental ecological effects of E. alatus has prompted many states to consider banning the sale of this species." [1]
"Euonymus alatus (Celastraceae) has been used as an anticancer agent in Korean traditional medicine." [2]
"Historically, E. alatus has been popular as an ornamental shrub for challenging landscape situations because of its tolerance to many environmental conditions, overall hardiness, and longevity. It has commonly been planted around highways, shopping malls, commercial landscapes, and residential homes. Dirr (2001) estimated annual U.S. production of E. alatus plants to be at least in the hundreds of thousands and more likely in the millions. In Connecticut alone, sales of just the cultivar Compactus represent $5 million annually." [1]
[1] "Brand, M. H., Lubell, J. D., & Lehrer, J. M. (2012). Fecundity of winged euonymus cultivars and their ability to invade various natural environments. HortScience, 47(8), 1029-1033."
[2] Kang, H. R., Eom, H. J., Lee, S. R., Choi, S. U., Kang, K. S., Lee, K. R., & Kim, K. H. (2015). Bioassay-guided isolation of antiproliferative triterpenoids from Euonymus alatus twigs. Natural product communications, 10(11), 1934578X1501001131.
