Euonymus

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Spindle-tree)
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Template:Short description Script error: No such module "Distinguish". Template:Use British English Template:For-multi Template:Use dmy dates Template:Automatic taxobox

Euonymus Template:IPAc-en is a genus of flowering plants in the staff vine family Celastraceae. Common names vary widely among different species and between different English-speaking countries, but include spindle (or spindle tree), burning-bush, strawberry-bush, wahoo, wintercreeper, or simply euonymus. It has about 140 species[1][2][3] of deciduous and evergreen shrubs, small trees and lianas. They are mostly native to East Asia, extending to the Himalayas,[4] and they are also distributed in Europe, Australasia, North America, and Madagascar. Fifty species are endemic to China.[2]

Description

The inconspicuous flowers occur in small groups, and can be green, yellow, pink or maroon in color depending on species.[4] The leaves are opposite (rarely alternate) and simple ovoid, typically 2–15 cm long, and usually with a finely serrated margin. The fruit is a pink or white four- or five-valved pod-like berry, which splits open to reveal the fleshy-coated orange or red seeds.

The seeds are eaten by frugivorous birds, which digest the fleshy seed coat and disperse the seeds in their droppings. Many species are used in traditional medicines, and parts of the plants can be poisonous to humans.[5]

Cultivation and uses

File:Spindle fruit.jpg
Mature spindle fruit (Euonymus sp.), split open to reveal the seeds

The wood of some species was traditionally used to make spindles for spinning wool;[6] this use is the origin of the British English name of the shrubs.

Euonymus are popular garden shrubs, grown for their foliage, the deciduous species often exhibiting very bright red autumnal colours, and also for the decorative berries. Euonymus alatus (winged euonymus or burning-bush) is considered an invasive species in the woodlands of the northeastern United States.

Selected species

Script error: No such module "Labelled list hatnote".

File:Euonymus plants growing in New Jersey in April.jpg
Euonymus fortunei in a nursery
File:Euonymus verrucosus 3 RF.jpg
Euonymus verrucosus in Austria

References

Template:Sister project Template:Reflist

Template:Taxonbar Template:Authority control

  1. Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named POWO
  2. a b Euonymus. Flora of China.
  3. Du, C., et al. (2013). Revision of three species of Euonymus (Celastraceae) from China. Phytotaxa 109(1) 45-53.
  4. a b Botanica: The Illustrated A-Z of over 10000 Garden Plants and How to Cultivate Them. Könemann, 2004. pg. 358. Template:ISBN
  5. Plants for a Future: Euonymus europaeus
  6. Clapham, A. R. (1975). The Oxford Book of Trees. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p.31.
  7. Siebold's spindle, iNaturalist
  8. Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".