Spindle Tree, European spindletree
Euonymus europaeus
Family: Celastraceae
What it is like
Euonymus europaeus is a deciduous Shrub growing to 6 m (19ft 8in). See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 3. It is in flower from May to June, and the seeds ripen from September to November. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Insects. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils and can grow in very alkaline soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers dry or moist soil.
Height (m): 6
Where it is found
Woods, scrub and hedges, usually on calcareous soils.
Europe, including Britain, from Sweden suth and east to Spain, the Caucasus and W. Asia.
Conservation Status:
Countries/locations it is found in
How it is used
Food
Rating: 1
An edible yellow dye is obtained from the fruit and seed. Pink from the fruit case, orange from the seed. These reports should be treated with some caution since many members of this genus are poisonous. One report suggests that the plant is a source of a manna, there are no further details.
Manna: this is a sweet substance that exudes naturally from certain plants, usually from the stems.
Oil: Oil
Colouring: edible dyes
Medicine
Rating: 2
The bark is alterative, cholagogue, hepatic, laxative, stimulant and tonic. The root bark is the part normally used, though bark from the stems is sometimes employed as a substitute. In small doses it stimulates the appetite, in larger doses it irritates the intestines. The bark is especially useful in the treatment of liver disorders which follow or accompany fevers. The seeds are strongly emetic and purgative. The fresh leaves, and the dried fruit and seeds, are used externally to treat scabies, lice (head, body or pubic), ticks and other skin parasites.
Alterative: Causes a gradual beneficial change in the body, usually through improved nutrition and elimination, without having any marked specific action.
Cholagogue: Increases the flow of bile and its discharge from the body.
Hepatic: Acts on the liver (for better or worse!).
Laxative: Stimulates bowel movements in a fairly gentle manner.
Parasiticide: Treats external parasites such as ringworm This should perhaps be joined with Parasiticide in
Purgative: A drastic laxative causing a cleansing or watery evacuation of the bowels, usually with a griping pain.
Stimulant: Excites or quickens activity of the physiological processes. Faster acting than a tonic but differing from a narcotic in that it does not give a false sense of well-being.
Tonic: Improves general health. Slower acting than a stimulant, it brings steady improvement.
Other
Rating: 3
The whole plant yields a volatile oil that is used in soap making. Other reports say that the oil is obtained from the seed. It is possible that there are two oils, an essential oil from the plant and an oil from the seed. A good yellow dye is obtained from the fleshy coating around the seeds. This becomes green with the addition of alum, but unfortunately both colours are rather fugitive. The baked and powdered berries are used to remove lice from the hair, they are also used as an insecticide. The leaves are used. Roots yield up to 4% gutta-percha, a non elastic rubber used as an electrical insulation and for making plastics. Wood - very hard, easily split, fine-grained, not durable. Used for spindles, skewers, knitting needles, toothpicks, carving etc. A high quality charcoal is obtained from the wood, it is used by artists.
Charcoal: Used for fuel, drawing, deodorant, filter, fertilizer etc.
Dye: Plants that provide dyes.
Insecticide: Kills insects.
Latex: A source of rubber.
Oil: Vegetable oils have many uses, as lubricants, lighting, soap and paint making, waterproofing etc. This does not include the edible oils unless they are also mentioned as having other uses.
Parasiticide: Kills external body parasites such as hair lice.
Wood: A list of the trees and shrubs that are noted for having useful wood.
Food Forest: Plants for Edible Forest Gardens and Food Forests.
How it is grown
An easily grown plant, it thrives in almost any soil, including chalk, and is particularly suited to dry shaded areas. Prefers a well-drained loamy soil. If cultivated for its latex it is best grown in a dry open position. A very cold-hardy plant, tolerating temperatures down to about -25°c. A very ornamental plant, there are many named varieties. This species is often damaged by caterpillars during the flowering season. It is a favoured home for blackfly, so should not be grown near broad beans. In garden design, as well as the above-ground architecture of a plant, root structure considerations help in choosing plants that work together for their optimal soil requirements including nutrients and water. The root pattern is branching: a heart root, dividing from the crown into several primary roots going down and out .
Propagating it: Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame. Stored seed requires 8 - 12 weeks warm followed by 8 - 16 weeks cold stratification and can then be sown in a cold frame. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. One report says that the seed can be sown in an outdoors seedbed in early spring with good results. Grow the seedlings on for two years in the seedbed before planting them out into their permanent positions. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 5 - 8cm long taken at a node or with a heel, July/August in a frame. Very easy. Cuttings of mature wood, November in a frame. Layering in July/August. Takes 14 months.
Best place to grow: Woodland Garden Sunny Edge; Dappled Shade; Shady Edge;
Habit: Shrub
Hardiness: 3-7
Growth:
Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)
Shade: Semi-shade, no shade
Moisture: Dry, moist
Things to keep in mind
Poisonous. No further details.