2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
Euonymus (lat. Euonymus) - a genus of woody plants of the family Euonymus. Under natural conditions, euonymus grow in the undergrowth of mixed and deciduous forests, mainly in the temperate and subtropical zones, with the exception of the far north. Currently, the genus includes more than 200 species.
Characteristics of culture
Euonymus is a deciduous or evergreen shrub up to 10 m high, with tetrahedral or rounded shoots with cork growths and a decorative openwork crown. Leaves are smooth, opposite, light green or green, ovoid, elliptical, lanceolate or oblong. In autumn, the leaves turn white, yellow, orange, pink, red, purple or carmine. The flowers are inconspicuous, small, five-petalled, greenish or brownish in color, racemose or corymbose inflorescences are collected, bloom immediately after the leaves unfold.
The fruit is a four-part capsule, prickly or winged, leathery, dry. Unripe fruits are pale green, when ripe - pink, scarlet, raspberry, burgundy, dark purple or yellow. Seeds are red, white or brownish-black, with a prunus, covered with fleshy tissue. Euonymus blooms in May - June. It is impossible to call euonymus a flowering plant; it is valued only for its delicate foliage (especially in autumn) and bright fruits. Euonymus is a poisonous plant.
Growing conditions
For growing euonymus, slightly alkaline or neutral, fertilized, moderately moist soils are desirable. The attitude to the intensity of illumination is different for each species, for example, the warty euonymus develops well in semi-shaded areas, and the European euonymus prefers the sun. Most euonymus have a spread surface root system, so they can grow in areas with a thin soil layer. The culture is characterized by increased drought resistance and frost resistance. Plants are negatively related to waterlogging.
Reproduction and planting
Propagated by euonymus seeds, root suckers, green cuttings and dividing the bush. The seed method is difficult. Before sowing, the seeds are stratified at a temperature of 2-3C for four months, usually up to 70-80% of the seeds hatch with this treatment. The stratified seeds are washed, cleaned from seedlings and etched in a weak solution of potassium permanganate. Seeds are sown in a substrate made up of leafy and soddy soil, humus and sand in a ratio of 4: 1: 2: 1. The seeding depth is 2 cm. The first shoots appear in 14-20 days. Young plants are transplanted to a permanent place in the third year.
Cuttings are carried out at the end of summer. Cuttings should be 6-10 cm long and have one internode. Sections of cuttings are treated with phytohormonal powder or growth stimulant, only after that they are planted in a mixture of sand and peat and covered with polyethylene. Cuttings take root after 1, 5-2 months, then they are transplanted to a permanent place. For the winter, young plants are mulched with a thick layer of peat or healthy fallen leaves. Spindle trees grown in this way begin to bear fruit in 4-5 years.
Care
Euonymus are unpretentious plants, caring for them consists in the standard procedures for most crops, including weeding and loosening the soil near the trunk or near-stem zone, fertilizing, watering and pruning. The spindle trees respond well to soil aeration; compaction should not be allowed.
To maintain a beautiful crown, the plants are subjected to formative pruning. In variegated euonymus, the resulting green branches are also removed. Sanitary pruning is also necessary. Fertilizers for the crop are acceptable both organic and mineral. It is quite enough 2-3 dressings per season, dressing is required before fruiting.
Quite often, euonymus are affected by various pests. The most dangerous for plants are scale insects, spider mites, apple moths, aphids and red flat mites. To combat them, a solution of the drug "Actellik" or any other approved insecticides is effective.
Application
The euonymus is widely used in the landscape design of gardens and parks. Creeping forms, in particular Koopman's euonymus, Forchun's euonymus and dwarf euonymus, form dense dense carpets under favorable growth conditions, they are suitable for landscaping shady areas. Due to the fact that euonymus can easily tolerate formative pruning, they can be used to create hedges. Plants are often used in group and specimen plantings.
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Dwarf Euonymus
Dwarf eonymus (lat.Euonymus nanus) - ornamental shrub; a representative of the genus Euonymus of the family Euonymus. Under natural conditions, it is found in Poland, Romania, Moldova, Ukraine, the Caucasus, Kabardino-Balkaria, as well as on the territory of the Russian Federation.
Warty Euonymus
Warty euonymus (lat.Euonymus verrucosus) - ornamental shrub; species of the genus Euonymus of the family Euonymus. It is found in mountainous regions, mixed and deciduous forests of Europe and Asia, also grows in Iran, Turkey, China, Korea and Japan.
Coopmann's Euonymus
Euonymus koopmanni (lat.Euonymus koopmanni) - ornamental shrub; a representative of the genus Euonymus of the family Euonymus. In nature, it is found in shrubs and interweaving of trees (more precisely, walnuts), deep mountain gorges, river valleys, near waterfalls and under the canopy of forests in Central Asia and China.
Red Euonymus
Red euonymus (lat.Euonymus miniata) - ornamental shrub; species of the genus Euonymus of the family Euonymus. In nature, it can be found only on the Kuril Islands and Sakhalin. Typical habitats are mountains, coniferous and mixed forests. Externally, the species under consideration is similar to the big-winged euonymus, and differs in the color of flowers and fruits.
Winged Euonymus
Winged euonymus (lat.Euonymus alatus) - a representative of the genus euonymus of the euonymus family. Natural area - Japan, China and the Russian Far East. Typical habitats are mixed forests, bushes, cliffs, onion slopes, open areas, stream and river valleys and seashores.