Many gardeners are well aware of what euonymus is. However, in some regions this plant is known as wolfberries, night blindness, wolf earrings, and bruslin. But scientifically it is called Euonymus. So Karl Linney dubbed him, combining the ancient Greek eu, that is, "good", and onymus - "name, name." The result was a "good, beautiful, glorious name" or simply "glorious." Indeed, any kind of euonymus is unusually beautiful and spectacular in its own way, for which it was so fond of landscape designers. And the unpretentiousness of the plant was appreciated by the owners of personal plots. But the non-capricious handsome spindle tree has its own secrets, the knowledge of which depends on the success in its cultivation.
How to distinguish euonymus from other plants
For those who do not yet know what a spindle tree is, a photo will help to understand the issue. A distinctive feature of this plant is the fruit - seed boxes, ripening in the fall. It is then that they, from green, nondescript, almost imperceptible against the background of foliage, become bright red, raspberry, purple or yellow (depending on species, variety). Externally, tetrahedral boxes hanging from a branch on thin stalks. When ripe, they burst, revealing to the world four bright red berries with black dotted eyes. All together, it resembles parachutes or miniature Chinese lanterns. Berries do not fall to frosts and always attract eyes, and in addition, some people, especially children, cause a desire to taste them. They taste sweet and sour, therefore, not knowing what spindle tree is and why it is dangerous, they can be eaten quite a lot. The consequences of such a meal are sad, since the berries are poisonous. After them, persistent bitterness appears in the mouth, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and temperature begin. Therefore, it is necessary to plant an euonymus in your own area in places where children do not walk, or to explain to them in an accessible way that these beautiful berries cannot be eaten.
Biological description
All euonymos belong to the genus euonymus. Depending on the species, they can be dwarf, only 30-50 cm tall, medium and high, stretching up to 10 meters. The foliage of different euonymos in the summer is mostly green, but for some it has white or yellow border or speckles. In autumn, the foliage does not change in evergreen species, and in deciduous species, dozens of shades of red, orange, and purple flare up. On this basis, it is also possible to recognize what a spindle tree is. The photo below captures one of the mid-sized species. Without further ado, it shows how spectacular the crown of these plants is.
But their flowers are not particularly remarkable, although they are also not without some originality. In some species, for example, the winged euonymus, they resemble small wonderful creatures with 4 wings and 4 proboscis sticking out of 4 pillows. In other representatives of the genus, flowers are less exotic, small, yellow-green, almost odorless. Twigs are also noteworthy. At the cut, they are round or square. Their bark is brownish in some species, smooth, in others with growths, in others with longitudinal cork formations such as wings.
The use of euonymus
Before, people involved in the production of rubber knew very well what euonymus is, because they made gutta-percha from its juice. Even now in medicine, especially in dentistry, materials derived from warty euonymus are used. And they are needed to treat periodontitis, pulpitis. Folk healers advise using euonymus (bark, berries, leaves, branches) for heart diseases, hypertension, skin ailments, migraines. And winged euonymus, smart gardeners plant among apple trees and other fruit trees, because plants of this species take the blow of hordes of pests, saving the garden from them. This is such a wonderful plant.
Seed propagation
To finally understand what the euonymus is and what you can expect from it, we will talk about how to reproduce it. And there are only two of them - vegetative and seeds. I must say that the latter option is not the most successful, because troublesome and long. It is advisable to sow freshly harvested seeds - in the fall before winter, so that they undergo a natural stratification. Usually, robin birds do this, for which euonymus berries are not poisonous. With this sowing technology, seeds germinate in the 2nd year. The process can be accelerated by stratification. To do this, the euonymus seeds are washed from the pulp, for 20 minutes they are poured with a pink solution of potassium permanganate, then they are kept in a cool place for 3-4 months (up to +12 ° C), and after that - for another 4-5 months in the cold (t from 0 to +3 ° C). They are sown in prepared containers in early spring, making small holes (up to 2 cm) in the ground, or holes, and then watered. Such seeds germinate in 2-3 weeks. It is advisable to mulch seedlings with small peat and regularly but moderately water it.
Vegetative propagation
In order not to fool yourself, it is better to propagate the euonymus vegetatively. There are several ways - layering, cuttings, dividing the bush. Layers propagate species in which branches spread along the ground or are located close to it, for example, European dwarf, winged, Fortune, Japanese euonymus. The branch is tilted, pinned to the surface, sprinkled with soil. After 1.5 months, she will give the roots. Then the branch is separated and planted in the right place. By dividing the bush, small and medium-sized spindle trees are propagated, giving copious growth and having a superficial root system, creeping shallow underground. This operation is necessary not only to obtain new plants, but also to rejuvenate old ones. The bush is dug up, a fragment of the rhizome with a shoot is carefully separated and planted in a new place.
Propagation by cuttings
In this way, any kind of euonymus can be propagated. Cuttings in late spring - early summer are cut from plants from 4 years old. They should be at least 8-10 cm long and have at least one internode. To obtain the best result, it is desirable, according to the instructions, to hold them in the root. Next, the cuttings are placed in a greenhouse with prepared soil (a mixture of sheet soil and sand in a ratio of 1: 3), sprinkled with sand on top, watered and covered with a film. The roots are formed already in the fall, then a young seedling can be transplanted to a permanent place.
Care Rules
So, we found out what a spindle tree is. Where does he grow? This question is also of great importance, as it determines his life preferences. There are a little more than 200 species of euonymus in the world, of which about 80-90 are deciduous. Some species feel comfortable on sunlit areas (Maak euonymus), others prefer partial shade (warty, European euonymus), while others like the shadow (Sakhalin, sacred). These features must be taken into account when choosing a plant for your garden. It is possible to land an acquired species of euonymus without taking into account its light whims, but representatives with variegated leaves in the shade will lose their spectacular color, and shady ones in the bright sun will grow slowly and without the splendor of the crown.
But the abundance of moisture does not like absolutely all types of euonymus. They should not be planted where there is stagnation of water or groundwater is too close to the surface. If there is no other place for this plant on the site, it is necessary to arrange a drainage pillow from expanded clay, crushed stone, sand in the landing hole. Its thickness depends on the hydrological condition of the site. They sprinkle euonymus sparingly, in the heat a little more often than on cool days.
The soil composition of euonymus is also demanding. On acidic they will not grow beautiful and healthy - only on neutral or slightly alkaline and necessarily light soils. It is possible to reduce acidity by adding lime, and to lighten heavy loams by adding sand, manure, and turfy soil. Throughout the season, euonymus is fed with organic and mineral fertilizers. Then the plants are especially lush, bright and beautiful.
European euonymus
Representatives of this species are dwarf, medium and tall. They grow bushes or trees. On their branches there are cork “wings”, and the petioles of the fruit-boxes are somewhat shorter than in other species.
Many gardeners for the compactness and beauty of the crown like the European dwarf euonymus. The photo above shows how tiny these plants are. Most dwarf species are evergreen shrubs. Therefore, in the fall, they are not encouraging with flaming paints, but throughout the year they create beautiful saturated green spots on the site. Branches of different varieties of dwarf euonymus can grow up, forming a neat compact bush up to 1 meter high, and can spread along the ground, rising above it by only 30-50 cm. The leaves of all dwarf euonymos are mostly elongated, dense, leathery, with plastic leaf top glossy, matte bottom. Plants bloom in mid-summer, and the fruits ripen in early autumn. The European red cascade has a great charm. This name was given to the plant for the fantastically beautiful red-raspberry-burgundy-purple fireworks of its autumn foliage. This euonymus is frost-resistant, unpretentious to the soil more than others, tolerant to pruning, likes partial shade and places where the sun is, but not all day.
Growing Features
In the forests of Moldova, Ukraine, Romania, you can often find a European dwarf euonymus. Planting and caring for this species are the same as for other representatives of the genus Bereskletovye. The only thing that is desirable to take into account is the fact that undersized euonymos prefer shady areas of the garden, in extreme cases - partial shade. They are an ideal choice for arranging a live fence, rockeries, and from the upward growing dwarf varieties, unique topiary compositions are obtained. This handsome man propagates by seeds, and layering, and division of the bush, and cuttings.
Dwarf spindle trees are not as frost-resistant as their tall counterparts. Some gardeners solve this problem by covering the creeping bushes with spruce plants in the cold, while others plant baby euonymos in containers and bring them into the room in winter. The temperature of the environment for them in the house should be within +15 ... +16 degrees, air humidity and watering should be moderate. If you put a pot of plants near the battery, it can drop leaves.
Euonymus warty
What is a warty spindle tree, it is best to understand if you look at the photo above. On it, growths on the branches and trunk, reminiscent of warts, are clearly visible. These formations are needed to improve the respiration of living plant tissues. Its second distinctive feature is the mouse "aroma" of flowers. Outwardly, they are completely unprepossessing, small, flat, due to the brownish color of the petals as if inanimate. But the fruits of the warty spindle tree are as bright and spectacular as other members of the genus. Its third feature, useful when propagating by dividing the bush, is a superficial root system with many fibrous roots.
The warty euonymus belongs to semi-deciduous plants, since its foliage can remain on branches for up to 7 years. In the summer it is green, and in the fall it becomes incredibly beautiful - pink-raspberry-red. The warty euonymus lives for about 50 years, grows slowly, and when it reaches 30 years, the increase in size ceases altogether. In the temperate latitudes of Russia, it is a bush with a maximum height of 3 meters.
Japanese euonymus
This species is noteworthy in that it can be grown both on the site and in the apartment in an ordinary pot. From Japanese euonymus, beautiful bonsai compositions are obtained. Externally, Japanese euonymus, depending on the variety, are significantly different. So, there are species with yellow stains on the leaves (golden euonymus), with whitish (silver) or with ordinary green. Some have leaflets along the edges. But they bloom and, accordingly, rarely bear fruit. Care for indoor Japanese euonymus is to properly water and to provide the necessary lighting. Species with variegated leaves need enough light, and the window sills of the apartment are suitable for green, where the sun rarely looks. Indoor spindle trees are watered somewhat more abundantly than street ones, especially in the warm season. In summer, it is advisable to spray the pets with water at room temperature. Japanese indoor euonymos are hard to tolerate the heat, for them the air temperature should not exceed +20 degrees in the summer and +15 in the winter. Top dressing is carried out as a general principle. Pruning is carried out if you want to give your euonymus an interesting look, and also to make the crown more dense and lush.
In landscape design and in nature
A beautiful, unpretentious, and besides, a plant that easily tolerates the gas contamination and smokiness of industrial cities - this is how European gardeners characterize gardeners. For landscaping use all its types, it all depends on the purpose and the desired composition. So, tall representatives are great as landmarks, creeping - beautiful and spectacular as integumentary plants, shade-tolerant ideal as a hedge. Fortune's euonymus is especially unique , which is able to climb poles to a height of 3 meters, clinging to them with roots. And with a European euonymus it is good to mask not quite aesthetic places in your personal plot, for example, some kind of barn. But the veranda or terrace can also be decorated with a spectacular euonymus. Dwarf varieties are great for creating rabatok, which has gained great popularity in England.
Not only gardeners, but also wildlife lovers can tell what a spindle tree is. And the fjords (especially in Spain, Chile, America), and the slopes of the mountains, for example, in the Himalayas, and the floodplains of rivers in Sakhalin, and the edges of forests in the Far East, in China are decorated with beautiful foliage and unusual fruits of many-faced euonymus.
Pests
Finally, I want to briefly tell you what diseases susceptible to spindle cells. These plants attract a lot of pests, including scale insects, aphids, moths, apple moths, hawthorn, spider mites and flat mites. You need to deal with them with appropriate insecticides. Of the diseases of euonymus, the most common is white mold, which appears at elevated humidity and ambient temperature.