Common or European Spindle


This shrub is a decidous small tree that prefers to grow on
rich ground at the border of the wood.
The fruits are red and can be found on the tree during fall.
Thr fruits consist in four parts that open when the seeds
are ripe and orange. Birds eat them and take the seeds with them.
All parts of the European spindle are poisionous for humans
and this is causing problems as the fruits attract childern.
Eating of to much of the fruit causes liver or kidney faillure.
The red fruits have a very strong bitter taste.




Flowering twice


The European spindle flowers at the start and at the end
of the summer.


These are fruits and seeds of Euonymus planipes, a Japanese Spindle.



The color of the leaves of Euonymus planipes
and common Spindle are bright red in fall.



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The leaves of the European spindle.




A photo made in december, the red fruits remain on the European
spindle until birds have found them.





The cultivar Eunonymus Alatus has nice red leaves in fall.