Eonymus Or Euonymus

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

The plant Euonymus is a vivid example of the close friendship of beauty and danger; medicines and poison. In its elegant and beautiful leaves and decorative earring fruits, pleasing to the eye, a dangerous poison lurks, which in small doses helps to cope with diseases

Rod Eonimus

More than two hundred species of woody plants are united by botanists into a genus

Eonimus (Euonymus) or

Euonymus

Among them there are shrubs and trees, with evergreen leaves or leaves falling for the winter. The leaves hold on to the branches with stalks and for the most part have a smooth surface.

Plants are decorative by various colors of leaves and fruit-boxes, hanging on branches in the form of elegant and bright "earrings".

Small flowers of an unattractive and pale appearance do not contribute to an increase in decor, but without them elegant fruits would not have happened.

Most species of the genus are poisonous

Varieties

* Winged euonymus (Euonymus alata) is a cold-tolerant shrub that sheds its bright red autumn leaves for the winter. Winged he was nicknamed for the ribbing of the bark of the branches, giving them the appearance of wings. In summer, the oval-lanceolate leaves of the shrub are colored dark green. Crimson seeds are hidden in purple fruits.

* European spindle tree (Euonymus europaea) is a shrub that sheds its green pointed lanceolate leaves before the onset of cold weather in order to survive safely in frosts. The shape of the red seed pods-fruits is similar to the caps of Christian priests, for which the Italians call the plant "Priest's Cap". Orange seeds sit inside the “caps”.

* Fortune's eonymus (Euonymus fortunei) - has a second name, Rooting euonymus (Euonymus radicans). A creeping plant with evergreen glossy ovoid leaves with a jagged edge. There are varieties with variegated leaves. Resistant to frost. Fruits are pinkish with bright orange seeds. Often grown as a climbing plant.

* Japanese spindle (Euonymus japonica) is a hardy shrub with evergreen leathery dark green leaves with a glossy surface and a finely toothed margin. Its variegated species are popular when landscaping cities. The fruits are colored orange or pink.

* Broad-leaved spindle tree (Euonymus latifolia) - Ovate leaves of a resistant shrub dress in a red glossy outfit in autumn, emphasizing the pointed tip and small teeth along the edge of the leaf. For the winter, the leaves fly around. Orange seeds take refuge in pinkish-red capsule fruits.

Growing

Growing a shrub is easy.

Although they are light-loving plants, they can also be grown in partial shade. In addition to Japanese euonymus, all species can withstand heat and cold, and therefore are perfect for landscaping city streets in industrial cities, since they are also unpretentious to the components of the surrounding air.

As usual, shrubs are planted in autumn in areas with a cold climate, and in warm regions spring days are also suitable for this. Plants are unpretentious to the soil, but loose, relatively fertile, without stagnant water is better suited, since many species tolerate drought more easily than excess moisture.

The euonymus is also planted in pots, the soil for which is prepared from a mixture of fertile garden soil, peat and sand, taken in equal proportions, adding complex fertilizer when planting a seedling. In the future, at least once a month, watering the plants is combined with mineral feeding.

The euonymus perfectly tolerates a haircut, which is in demand when arranging hedges from shrubs.

Warning - All parts of the plant are dangerous to humans and animals, as they contain toxic components

Reproduction

You can propagate in any way:

* sowing seeds;

* semi-lignified cuttings;

* layering;

* root suckers;

* pneumatic growth.

Enemies

Oddly enough, the poisonousness of the plant does not frighten the fungi that cause root rot. The poison also does not affect caterpillars, worms and aphids, which are not averse to feasting on the leaves of the bush.