The Spindle Tree found in our hedges and copses is a smooth-leaved shrub. It grows to 3-6 m tall, rarely up to 10 m, with a stem up to 20 cm diameter. Grey, smooth bark. The European spindle prefers the edges of forest, hedges and gentle slopes, tending to thrive on nutrient-rich, chalky and salt-poor soils.

 

The leaves are opposite (rarely alternate) and simple lanceolate to elliptical, typically 2-15 cm long and 1-3 cm broad, and have very short stalks, and usually with a finely serrated margin. In autumn they often show a beautiful bright red colour.

 

The hermaphrodite flowers (have both male and female organs) are produced during May and June and are pollinated by insects; they are rather inconspicuous, small, yellowish green and grow in cymes of 3-8 together. The capsular fruit ripens in autumn, and is red to purple or pink in colour and approximately 1-1.5 cm wide. When ripe, the four lobes split open to reveal the orange seeds.

 

The fruit is a redish pink four or five valved pod like berry, which splits open to reveal the fleshy-coated orange seeds which are wrapped in a scarlet arillus. The fruit is poisonous, containing amongst other substances, the alkaloids theobromine and caffeine, as well as an extremely bitter terpene. Poisonings are more common in young children, who are enticed by the brightly-coloured fruits. Ingestion can result in liver and kidney damage and even death. and the seeds ripen from September to November.

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The seeds are eaten by frugivorous birds, which digest the fleshy seed coat and disperse the seeds in their droppings. All parts of the plants are poisonous to humans if eaten.

 

Spindles are popular garden shrubs due to its bright pink or purple fruits, grown for their foliage, the deciduous species often exhibiting very attractive bright red autumn colours, and also for the decorative berries, an easily grown plant, in addition to its resistance to frost and wind. A very cold-hardy plant, tolerating temperatures down to about -25°c. It has been introduced to North America where it has become an invasive species in some areas. 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.

 

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.

 

Euonymus are susceptible to a variety of pests such as spider mites and thrips, but particularly scale. There are several different types of scale that attack Euonymus, but the worst is Euonymus scale. This pest can severely stunt the growth of a plant and even kill it. The whitish male clusters are found on the leaves and new shoots, while the brownish female clusters are found on more mature wood. Scales can be fatal to varieties of E. fortunei, E. europaeus and E. hamiltonianus

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