Practical
Plants

Euonymus europaeus

Spindle Tree

a perennial woody deciduous member of the Euonymus genus in the family Celastraceae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Life cycle
perennial
Foliage
deciduous
Woodiness
woody
Height
6 m
Fertility
Insects
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Insects

Uses

Toxicity

Toxicity warning. The historical record reports a hazard for this plant. Do not use it to decide which parts are safe to eat or use medicinally.

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Poisonous. No further details.

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

An edible yellow dye is obtained from the fruit and seed[18][20][3][12]. Pink from the fruit case, orange from the seed[9]. 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[12], there are no further details.

Product or use
Colouring
Plant part
Sap
Product or use
Manna

Medicinal uses

Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

The bark is alterative, cholagogue, hepatic, laxative, stimulant and tonic[17][22]. The root bark is the part normally used, though bark from the stems is sometimes employed as a substitute[17]. In small doses it stimulates the appetite, in larger doses it irritates the intestines[17]. The bark is especially useful in the treatment of liver disorders which follow or accompany fevers[17]. The seeds are strongly emetic and purgative[17]. 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[16].

Product or use
Alterative
Product or use
Cholagogue
Product or use
Hepatic
Product or use
Laxative
Product or use
Purgative
Product or use
Stimulant
Product or use
Tonic

Material uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

The whole plant yields a volatile oil that is used in soap making[8][18]. Other reports say that the oil is obtained from the seed[18][20][3][6]. It is possible that there are two oils, an essential oil from the plant and an oil from the seed[K]. A good yellow dye is obtained from the fleshy coating around the seeds[17]. This becomes green with the addition of alum, but unfortunately both colours are rather fugitive[17]. The baked and powdered berries are used to remove lice from the hair[19][14][21], they are also used as an insecticide[10]. The leaves are used[6]. Roots yield up to 4% gutta-percha, a non elastic rubber used as an electrical insulation and for making plastics[23]. Wood - very hard, easily split, fine-grained, not durable[17][19][8][18]. Used for spindles, skewers, knitting needles, toothpicks, carving etc[19][2][3]. A high quality charcoal is obtained from the wood, it is used by artists[18][23][3][6].

Product or use
Charcoal
Product or use
Dye
Product or use
Insecticide
Product or use
Latex
Product or use
Oil
Product or use
Parasiticide
Product or use
Wood

Environment

Range
Europe, including Britain, from Sweden suth and east to Spain, the Caucasus and W. Asia.
Habitat
Woods, scrub and hedges, usually on calcareous soils[25][11].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
light shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 3+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline, very alkaline
Drainage
well drained
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

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[26]. 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[24]. 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[24]. Cuttings of mature wood, November in a frame[5]. Layering in July/August. Takes 14 months[24].

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

An easily grown plant, it thrives in almost any soil, including chalk, and is particularly suited to dry shaded areas[15]. Prefers a well-drained loamy soil[1]. If cultivated for its latex it is best grown in a dry open position[23]. A very cold-hardy plant, tolerating temperatures down to about -25°c[13]. A very ornamental plant, there are many named varieties[4]. This species is often damaged by caterpillars during the flowering season[4]. It is a favoured home for blackfly, so should not be grown near broad beans[7].

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

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  2. Polunin. O. Flowers of Europe - A Field Guide. Oxford University Press 1969-00-00 ISBN 0192176218

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  3. Haywood. V. H. Flowering Plants of the World. Oxford University Press ISBN 0-19-217674-9

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  4. Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  5. Dirr. M. A. and Heuser. M. W. The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation. Athens Ga. Varsity Press 1987-00-00 ISBN 0942375009

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  6. Johnson. C. P. The Useful Plants of Great Britain.

    ↩1↩2↩3

  7. ? The Plantsman. Vol. 3. 1981 - 1982. Royal Horticultural Society 1981-00-00

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  8. Triska. Dr. Hamlyn Encyclopaedia of Plants. Hamlyn 1975-00-00 ISBN 0-600-33545-3

    ↩1↩2

  9. Carruthers. S. P. (Editor) Alternative Enterprises for Agriculture in the UK. Centre for Agricultural Strategy, Univ. of Reading 1986-00-00 ISBN 0704909820

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  10. Bryan. J. and Castle. C. Edible Ornamental Garden. Pitman Publishing 1976-00-00 ISBN 0-273-00098-5

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  11. Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962-00-00

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  12. Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9

    ↩1↩2

  13. Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Shrubs. Pan Books 1989-00-00 ISBN 0-330-30258-2

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  14. Stary. F. Poisonous Plants. Hamlyn 1983-00-00 ISBN 0-600-35666-3

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  15. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

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  16. Stuart. M. (Editor) The Encyclopedia of Herbs and Herbalism Orbis Publishing. London. 1979-00-00 ISBN 0-85613-067-2

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  17. Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984-00-00 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6↩7↩8

  18. Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5

  19. Mabey. R. Plants with a Purpose. Fontana 1979-00-00 ISBN 0-00-635555-2

    ↩1↩2↩3

  20. Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974-00-00 ISBN 0094579202

    ↩1↩2

  21. Freethy. R. From Agar to Zenery. The Crowood Press 1985-00-00 ISBN 0-946284-51-2

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  22. Chiej. R. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald 1984-00-00 ISBN 0-356-10541-5

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  23. Komarov. V. L. Flora of the USSR. Israel Program for Scientific Translation 1968-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3

  24. Sheat. W. G. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. MacMillan and Co 1948-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3

  25. Launert. E. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn 1981-00-00 ISBN 0-600-37216-2

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  26. Gordon. A. G. and Rowe. D. C. f. Seed Manual for Ornamental Trees and Shrubs.

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