Shade and Ornamental Trees: Euonymus (Spindle Tree)

Euonymus europaeus

European Spindle Tree is an upright, small tree, rounded in maturity. Its wood used to be made into spindles for spinning. Inconspicuous white flowers turn into very showy pinkish red fruit. The 4 lobes split open in fall to reveal the orange seed capsule (poisonous), at the same time the foliage turns shades of yellow to red-purple. In general E. europaeus is a tolerant, tough tree witth its only vice being a susceptibility to scale.