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Euonymus japonicus

Common name:	Japanese Spindle Tree	Family:	Celastraceae
Author:	Thunb.	Botanical references:	11, 58, 200
Synonyms:
Known Hazards:	The seed is probably poisonous, other parts of the plant may also be poisonous[65].
Range:	E. Asia - Japan. Locally naturalized in S. Europe.
Habitat:	Slopes in thickets and woods, especially near the sea[58].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	3	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	1

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	E. japonica[B,P]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Japanese Spindletree [P],
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Celastrales. Bittersweet family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	China

Physical Characteristics

An evergreen shrub growing to 4.5m by 2m at a medium rate. It is hardy to zone 7. It is in leaf all year, in flower from May to June. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Insects. We rate it 3/5 for edibility and 1/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils, requires well-drained soil and can grow in heavy clay soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires dry or moist soil. The plant can tolerate maritime exposure.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Hedge, Woodland, Sunny Edge, Dappled Shade, Shady Edge.

Edible Uses

Colouring; Leaves.

Young leaves - boiled[2, 177, 183]. The old leaves are powdered and used to colour food[105, 177, 183]. These reports should be treated with some caution due to the report of toxicity - see above.

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Antirheumatic; Diuretic; Tonic; Women's complaints.

The stem bark is antirheumatic, diuretic and tonic[218].
The leaf is used in cases of difficult delivery[218].

Other Uses

Hedge; Latex.

Roots and stems yield up to 7% gutta-percha, a non elastic rubber used as an electrical insulator and in making plastics etc[61, 74, 103].
Can be grown as a hedge, it is very tolerant of trimming and succeeds in severe maritime exposure[11, 75, 200].

Cultivation details

Thriving in almost any soil, including chalk and sandy soils, it is particularly suited to dry shaded areas[200]. Grows well in heavy clay soils. Shade tolerant but does not fruit well in such a position[11]. Prefers a well-drained loamy soil[11]. Plants are very tolerant of maritime exposure, succeeding even when grown on the sea shore[166], but they can be killed by cold drying winds[75, 184].
A very ornamental plant[1], there are a number of named varieties[184]. It is only hardy in S. England[11] tolerating temperatures down to about -10°c[184]. Plants are more likely to succumb to the cold if they are regularly trimmed (this exposes young growth to the cold), this regular trimming also leads to mildew especially when plants are growing in very dry ground[182].
The Japanese spindle tree is cultivated in Russia and Spain for the latex contained in the root. It is best grown in a dry soil and an open position when being grown for its latex[61, 74].
Plants are often slow to get established.
Plants can be susceptible to attacks by caterpillars[182] and are often damaged during the flowering season[11]. They are also a host of the sugar beet fly[49].
This species is notably resistant to honey fungus[200].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame[121]. Stored seed requires 3 months cold stratification, so should be sown as early in the year as possible in a cold frame[113]. Seed can take 18 months to germinate[74]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 5 - 7cm long taken at a node or with a heel, July/August in a frame. Very easy[200].
Cuttings of mature wood, October in a frame78, 113]. Cuttings will root readily at any time of the year if given bottom heat[1].
Root cuttings in winter.

Cultivars

'': There are some named forms for this species, but these have been developed for their ornamental value and not for their other uses. Unless you particularly require the special characteristics of any of these cultivars, we would generally recommend that you grow the natural species for its useful properties. We have, therefore, not listed the cultivars in this database[K].

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Euonymus japonica (a possible synonym).

[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.

References for the family Celastraceae.

To be included in the Flora of China.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[2] Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.

[11] Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981
A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.

[49] Arnold-Forster. Shrubs for the Milder Counties.
Trees and shrubs that grow well in &ndndndnd and other mild areas of Britain. Fairly good, a standard reference book.

[58] Ohwi. G. Flora of Japan. (English translation) Smithsonian Institution 1965
The standard work. Brilliant, but not for the casual reader.

[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.

[65] Frohne. D. and Pfänder. J. A Colour Atlas of Poisonous Plants. Wolfe 1984 ISBN 0723408394
Brilliant. Goes into technical details but in a very readable way. The best work on the subject that I've come across so far.

[74] Komarov. V. L. Flora of the USSR. Israel Program for Scientific Translation 1968
An immense (25 or more large volumes) and not yet completed translation of the Russian flora. Full of information on plant uses and habitats but heavy going for casual readers.

[75] Rosewarne experimental horticultural station. Shelter Trees and Hedges. Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food 1984
A small booklet packed with information on trees and shrubs for hedging and shelterbelts in exposed maritime areas.

[103] Haywood. V. H. Flowering Plants of the World. Oxford University Press ISBN 0-19-217674-9
Very readable and well illustrated, it lists plants by families giving the basic diagnostic features and some details of plant uses.

[105] Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976
The most comprehensive guide to edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.

[113] Dirr. M. A. and Heuser. M. W. The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation. Athens Ga. Varsity Press 1987 ISBN 0942375009
A very detailed book on propagating trees. Not for the casual reader.

[121] ? The Plantsman. Vol. 3. 1981 - 1982. Royal Horticultural Society 1981
Excerpts from the periodical giving cultivation details and other notes on some of the useful plants..

[166] Taylor. J. The Milder Garden. Dent 1990
A good book on plants that you didn't know could be grown outdoors in Britain.

[177] Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984 ISBN 3874292169
An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of latin names with a brief list of edible parts.

[182] Thomas. G. S. Ornamental Shrubs, Climbers and Bamboos. Murray 1992 ISBN 0-7195-5043-2
Contains a wide range of plants with a brief description, mainly of their ornamental value but also usually of cultivation details and varieties.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[184] Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Shrubs. Pan Books 1989 ISBN 0-330-30258-2
Excellent photographs and a terse description of 1900 species and cultivars.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[218] Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. 1985 ISBN 0-917256-20-4
Details of over 1,200 medicinal plants of China and brief details of their uses. Often includes an analysis, or at least a list of constituents. Heavy going if you are not into the subject.

Readers Comments

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