Euonymus europaeus
European Euonymus, Common Spindle Tree
Celastraceae
ExpandHabitat
- native to Europe
- hardy to zone 4
- is invasive in the United States
Habit and Form
- a deciduous upright shrub
- rounded form
- 12' to 30' tall and nearly as wide
- fast growth rate
- medium texture
Summer Foliage
- opposite leaf arrangement
- simple, deciduous leaves
- ovate to obovate leaf shape
- 1" to 3.5" long
- serrate leaf margins
- dull green leaf color
- glabrous
Autumn Foliage
- yellow to yellow-green to a reddish-purple fall color
- leafs out early
Flowers
- yellow-green flower color
- 0.5" across
- flowers borne in long cymes
- blooms in May
- not ornamentally significant
Fruit
- dry capsule fruit
- lobed
- 0.5" to 0.75" across
- pinkish red color
- orange seeds
- matures in September
- persists through the fall
- showy
Bark
- greenish-red stems
- gray-brown older bark
- thin
Culture
- transplant from container of B&B
- soil tolerant, but needs well-drained conditions
- pH adaptable
- full sun to partial shade
- very durable
Landscape Use
- group or mass planting
- screen
- border
Liabilities
- euonymus scale
- invasive and weedy
ID Features
- imbricate, fleshy, greenish buds
- dry capsule fruit that persists
- rounded branching habit
- yellow fall color
Propagation
- by cuttings
- by seed
Cultivars/Varieties
'Albus' (also listed as var. albus) - This form features white fruit.
'Nana' - This is a dwarf form only growing to 3' tall and wide. It apparently does not flower or fruit and it may not be as hardy as the species.
'Red Ace', 'Red Cascade' and 'Red Caps' - These three selections feature fruit that is abundant, long-lasting and red in color. Other traits are similar to the species.