Spindle

Visual Description

As a summary introduction, for those who don’t have time for all the details provided below, the following description is useful:

The Spindle Tree found in our hedges and copses is a smooth-leaved shrub. The leaves have very short stalks, are opposite in pairs and have minute teeth on the margin. It bears small greenish-white flowers, in loose clusters, during May and June, followed by an abundance of fruits. The fruit is three or more lobed, and becomes a beautiful rose-red colour; it bursts when ripe, disclosing ruddy-orange-coloured seeds, which are wrapped in a scarlet arillus. This yields a good yellow dye when boiled in water, and a green one with the addition of alum, but these dyes are fugitive. The berries attract children, but are harmful, for they are strongly emetic and purgative: they have proved fatal to sheep. The bark, leaves and fruit are all injurious, and no animal but the goat will browse upon them.The Latin name for Spindle is Fusus, and by some of the old writers, this plant is called Fusanum and the Fusoria. By the Italians it is still called Fusano. The fruit is given three or four as a dose, as a purgative in rural districts; and the decoction, adding some vinegar, is used as a lotion for mange in horses and cattle. In allusion to the actively irritating properties of the shrub, its name Euonymus is associated with that of Euonyme, the mother of the Furies. In old herbals it is called Skewerwood or prickwood (the latter from its employment as toothpicks), and gatter, gatten, or gadrose. Chaucer, in one of his poems, calls it gaitre.

Prior says, ‘Gatter is from the Anglo-Saxon words, gad (a goad) and treow (a tree); gatten is made up of gad again and tan (a twig); and gadrise is from gad and hris (a rod).’
The same hardness that fitted it for skewers, spindles, etc., made it useful for the ox-goad.

Turner apparently christened the tree ‘Spindle Tree’. He says,

I coulde never learne an Englishe name for it. The Duche men call it in Netherlande, spilboome, that is, spindel-tree, because they use to make spindels of it in that country, and me thynke it may be as well named in English seying we have no other name. . . . I know no goode propertie that this tree hath, saving only it is good to make spindels and brid of cages (bird-cages).

The wood, which is of a light yellow hue, strong, compact and easily worked, fulfils many uses. On the Continent, it is used for making pipe-stems, and excellent charcoal is made from the young shoots, which artists approve for its smoothness and the ease with which it can be erased. It is also employed in the making of gunpowder.

So the lesson from studying this plant is: for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction, or things change from positive to negative, and so on. I think that goes with the description of the plant as having hermaphrodite flowers.

Description

This group consists of 170 evergreen and deciduous shrubs, small trees, creepers and climbers. Euonymus (Spindletree) is found wild throughout North and Central America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia. These plants make great hedges, edging, and ground covers. The deciduous varieties are valued for their vividly coloured fruits and gorgeous autumn colours. The evergreen types are valued for their handsome foliage, which is usually multicoloured, as well as their tolerance to the salty sprays and winds of coastal regions. Spindle Trees produce their insignificant flowers in the spring or early summer. They are normally green or purplish and are followed, in mid-summer, by dazzling fruits, which open to reveal equally attractive seeds. Sometimes the fruit, seeds, and aril will all be contrasting colours. E. alatus (Winged Euonymus; Burning Bush) is a gorgeous, deciduous, medium-sized shrub that is one of the best for its autumn foliage, which turns bright crimson. The reddish-purple fruits open to reveal bright orange-coloured seeds. E. fortunei var. Emerald ‘n’ Gold is an attractive, compact, dwarf shrub with dark green leaves edged with a wide band of brilliant gold. In the winter, this golden band turns creamy white stained with pink. If provided with support, this variety will climb. E. fortunei var. Silver Queen is another pretty, small-sized shrub, although it can reach a height of 8 to 10 feet against a wall. In the spring, the leaves unfurl with a pale yellow colour, eventually turning green with a wide, white edge. Occasionally, this shrub will produce light green flowers that are followed by pink fruits. E. grandiflorus is a slow-growing semi-evergreen shrub that can grow up to 13 feet high. It produces large, yellow flowers and yellow fruits with scarlet seeds. The foliage turns wine-purple in the autumn. E. latifolius (Broadleaf Euonymus) is a deciduous plant that ranges in height from 11 to 16 feet. It has large, scarlet fruits and vivid autumn foliage.

E. europaeus’ American sister plant is worthy of note, the Arrow Wood: An attractive perennial to about 6 feet or taller with smooth ash-brown bark and small dark purplish flowers and purple-tinged leaves with serrated edges native to the eastern United States.ARROW WOOD (Euonymous atropurpurea). aka Bitter Ash, Bonnet-de-pretre (Fr), Burning bush, Dogwood, Fusain (Fr), Fusanum, Fusoria, Gadrose, Gatten, Gatter, Indian Arrowood, Pigwood, Pegwood, Prickwood, Skewerwood, Spindelbaume (Ger), Spindle tree, Wahoo. Also: (E. europaeus)

Summary of Other Uses

Charcoal; Dye; Insecticide; Latex; Oil; Parasiticide; Wood.

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, essential oil from the plant and 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[6, 19, 66], they are also used as an insecticide. The leaves are used. Roots yield up to 4% gutta-percha, a non-elastic rubber used as 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.

Cultivation & Care

Plant in any soil, sun or partial shade. Do not plant in farm hedges where beet and bean crops are growing as Spindle is the host plant for beet and bean aphids.
Propagation: Ripe seed should be sown in fall (requires stratification and is viable for 2 years); by semi-ripe cuttings in late summer. It is easily propagated by inserting the tips of branches about 3 inches in length into sandy soil in autumn or late summer and keeping them damp. Most of the deciduous kinds can be increased by sowing seeds in sandy soil in a cold frame in the fall. They can also be increased by taking cuttings and layering branches outside in September or by detaching suckers. The evergreen kinds are increased by cuttings inserted in a propagating case in a greenhouse in late summer or early fall. Low-growing kinds can be increased by division in the spring as well as by cuttings.

Needs: Well-drained soil in sun or part shade. Thin outshoots in late winter to maintain shape. Common pests are aphids, scale insects, and spider mites.
Cultivation: It is found in woods and hedgerows. The green and variegated Spindle Trees are familiar in British gardens. They all grow freely in any kind of soil, and are easily increased by inserting the ripened tips of the branches, about 3 inches long, into a fine, sandy loam in autumn, keeping them damp and fresh with a frequent spraying overhead. A species from South Europe and another from Japan are cultivated.

Potting: Spindle trees can be grown in almost any soil. They are tolerant of dry, shallow, alkaline soil and dry, shady areas. However, even though they are tolerant of all this, the deciduous species put on the best autumn display in sun. These plants also grow well near paths and other busy areas where the soil is compacted. Pruning consists of simply cutting away any dead, diseased, or damaged branches. Any shoots on a variegated plant that have reverted to green should be removed immediately to prevent the entire plant from turning plain green. 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.

Varieties: E. alatus (Winged Euonymus; Burning Bush) & var. compactus; E. europaeus (European Spindletree) & var. albus, Red Cascade; E. fortunei (Winter Creeper) & var. Canadale Gold, Coloratus, Dart’s Blanket, Emerald Gaiety, Emerald ‘n’ Gold, Gold Tip, Harlequin, Kewensis, Silver Pillar, Silver Queen, Sunspot, Variegatus; E. grandiflorus; E. hamiltonianus & var. Coral Charm, Coral Chief, sieboldianus; E. japonicus (Japanese Euonymus) & var. Duc d’Anjou, Latifolius Albomarginatus, Marieke, Microphyllus Aureus, Microphyllus Variegatus, Ovatus Aureus; E. latifolius (Broadleaf Euonymus); E. nanus & var. turkestanicus; E. oxyphyllus; E. phellomanus; E. planipes; E. americanus (Strawberry Bush); E. atropurpureus (Wahoo).

An easily grown plant, it thrives in almost any soil, including chalk, and is particularly suited to dry shaded areas. Prefers 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.

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.

Use of Cultivars: There are some named forms for this species, but these have been developed for their ornamental value and not for their other uses. Unless you particularly require the special characteristics of any of these cultivars, we would generally recommend that you grow the natural species for its useful properties. We have, therefore, not listed the cultivars in this database.

Euonymus alatus – A Weed in Sheep’s Clothing - Weed Alert!

Euonymus alatus (Thunb.) Siebold (burning bush, winged euonymus, winged wahoo, winged spindle-tree, Japanese spindle-tree)Summary: known invaders sighted in new areas

Euonymus alatus was introduced into the USA from northeastern Asia around 1860 for use as an ornamental shrub. The bright red fall foliage of E. alatus makes this shrub a popular ornamental planting, and it is commonly planted along interstate highways, as hedges, and in foundation plantings. While it behaves well in urban areas, E. alatus planted near woodlands, mature second-growth forests, and pastures can be problematic. It has been observed escaping from cultivation in the northeast and midwest, notably in Connecticut, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Illinois. E. alatus is a threat to woodland areas, fields, and coastal scrubland because it outcompetes native species.

Euonymus alatus (Thunb.) Siebold (Celastraceae–the staff-tree family) is a deciduous shrub. E. alatus is slow growing but can reach 4.6-6.1 meters in height (and width). The bark is grey-brown and the stems have prominent, corky wings running along both sides. In some cultivars, these wings can be greatly reduced to mere ridges. The leaf-buds are brownish-green and strongly divergent. The leaves are opposite, elliptic, and measure 2.5-7.6 cm long and 1.3-3.2 cm wide with fine, sharp serrations on the margin. In autumn the dark green leaves turn a brilliant purplish red to scarlet color before dropping to the ground. In Pennsylvania, the flowers bloom in late April to late June. The flowers are small, yellowish-green in colour and inconspicuous. The smooth, purplish fruit are 1.3 cm long and are present in September through October. Each fruit contains approximately four red to orange seeds.

Impacts

This new invader is becoming increasingly common in Connecticut, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Illinois. It has been observed making dense thickets in Pennsylvania. These thickets can shade out native herbs and crowd out native shrubs. Euonymus alatus also has the following characteristics:

E. alatus is adaptable to various environmental conditions; it grows well in different soil types and pH levels, has no serious pest problems in North America, and most importantly of all is tolerant of full shade.

Spectacular fall foliage makes it a popular landscape ornamental. Wide usage of this plant increases the probability that more will escape from cultivation

Reproduction and Methods of Dispersal

Seed production is prodigious. Birds relish eating the fruit, and seeds passing through their digestive tract are viable. Seeds dispersed this way germinate easily and spread the infestation to other areas.