Spindle belongs to the genus Euonymus and is a member of the Spindle family (Celastraceae).
Spindle (Euonymus europaeus) is a deciduous tree growing to 6m and flowering May to June.
Lifespan: may live for well over 100 years.
Characteristics
Bark is smooth and grey, developing a pink-grey hue and fissuring with age. Twigs are green and four-angled. Leaves are opposite, oval, finely toothed with a pointed tip (3–13cm).
Spindle is hermaphrodite; it has ‘perfect’ flowers with both sexes represented in one flower. Flowers have four petals and four alternate stamens, white-green, three to ten together in stalked clusters. Fruits are a four-lobed pink capsule; each lobe contains an orange seed. Spindle is insect pollinated.
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