British Native Trees
and Shrubs

Spindle Euonymus europaeus (Celastraceae)

Spindle can be a small tree or large shrub, but either way this pretty deciduous native reaches its spectacular climax in autumn when it is ablaze with yellow, russet and red leaves and vivid pink seed-pods. Generally growing to a maximum height of about 4 m, it can be recognized by its younger twigs which are green and distinctly square in cross-section, developing brown, corky ribs along the angles. Older stems become round, with smooth, grey-brown bark. The bluish-green opposite leaves are 3-8 cm long, elliptical or lance-shaped with a pointed tip and finely-toothed margin, and from the leaf axils in May come loose clusters of small, four-petalled, greenish-white flowers. By October the female flowers have developed into decorative, four-lobed, deep-pink, seed-pods which later split open to expose four bright orange arils each containing a hard, white, pink-coated, poisonous seed.

Spindle occurs in woods and scrub, mainly on calcareous soils, in most of lowland

England, but is only occasionally found north of a line joining the estuaries of the Humber and Dee.

Grown as a specimen tree, as a shrub or in hedge form, this is a rewarding garden plant, easy to grow, not over-large and providing attractive foliage and wonderful autumn colour. It thrives in sun or light shade and most soils, although it prefers lime-rich soils. It can be propagated from seed sown as soon as it is ripe and kept in a cold frame until germination in the second year.

The smooth, hard, whitish wood was traditionally used for making distaffs and spindles and other domestic objects such as pegs, knitting needles and skewers, as well as musical instruments. Like willow, it makes high-quality artists’ charcoal. The pulp of the arils yields a yellow dye, or when mixed with alum, a green dye.

It is pollinated by St Mark’s flies which are attracted to the nectar, and the leaves are food for holly blue caterpillars. The fruits provide winter food for birds.

Page last updated - January 10, 2002  

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