|
The Spindle (Euonymus europaeus) belongs to Celastraceae (the Bittersweet family). It is a small deciduous tree that is native to much of Europe. This tree grows in the edges of forest, hedges and gentle slopes, and it can reach 3-6 m in height. The leaves are opposite, lanceolate to elliptical, dark green, with a finely serrated edge, and turn yellow-green to reddish-purple in fall. The inconspicuous, small, yellowish green flowers bloom in cymes in late spring. The fruits are capsules with four ribs and ripen red to purple or pink in fall. When ripe, the four lobes split open to reveal the orange seeds.
|