Euonymus alatus
This is the star at the front of the border in the Stream Garden Field and the Fruit Garden Field with foliage turning a stunning bright red. It forms part of the rich tapestry of colour with Quercus, Acer, Amelanchier and Prunus in the Stream Garden Field and with Sorbus, Viburnum, Prunus, Malus, Cotoneaster, Crateagus and Amelanchier in the Fruit Garden Field bringing these parts of the garden into a blaze of colour before the greys of winter sets in.
Vital statistics
- Common name
- Winged spindle tree
- Family
- Celastraceae
- Height & spread
- 1.5m—2.5m (5—8ft) x 1.5—2.5m (5—8ft)
- Form
- Deciduous shrub
- Soil
- Well-drained
- Aspect
- Full sun or partial shade
- Hardiness
- Fully hardy
Euonymus
This is a genus of about 175 species of deciduous, semi-evergreen and evergreen shrubs, trees and climbers found in woodlands and thickets, mostly in Asia. Some species are found in Europe, America and Madagascar and one in Australia.
They are grown for their foliage, their autumn colour and their fruits, the flowers are small and can be white, yellow, green or red-brown.
The fruit is a capsule divided into sections, each of which contains a seed surrounded by a red or orange fleshy bag called an aril. The fruit splits, revealing a pale pinkish interior which contrasts with the brightly coloured aril.
The name Euonymus, derived from the ancient Greek, means 'of good name', which referred ironically to its being poisonous to animals.
Parts of the plant can cause stomach upset or even poisoning if ingested.
Euonymus alatus
Found in Japan and central China, this species is a dense, bushy, deciduous shrub with corky wings on its branches, hence the common name winged spindle. The species name alatus also means winged.
The leaves are dark green, oval, toothed, up to 7cm (3in) long and turn a spectacular dark red in autumn. The stems are 4-sided; the flowers are pale green and the fruit pale reddish-purple, 8mm (3/8 in) across with bright orange arils round the seeds.
Cultivation
• Grow in any well-drained soil in sun or partial shade. Prune when dormant, if needed, to remove wayward or crossing shoots.
• Euonymus alatus is especially good in alkaline soil.
• Euonymus alatus may suffer from powdery mildews.
Propagation
• Sow seed in containers in a cold frame as soon as ripe.
• Take semi-ripe cuttings in late summer or early autumn.
AGM
The RHS Woody Plant Committee awarded Euonymus alatus an Award of Garden Merit and described it as: Large, spreading, deciduous shrub, the branchlets often developing conspicuous corky wings. Leaves oval, turning rosy crimson in autumn. Flowers small, greenish; fruits purplish, seeds orange.