Euonymus bungeanus tree seed

LATIN NAME: Euonymus hamiltonianus

COMMON NAME: Hamilton’s Spindletree, Himalayan Spindle, Siebold’s Spindle

Hamilton’s spindletree is a handsome and dependable tree of the Asian forests, and its autumn display of colour and fruit is a quiet glory. It grows as a small, deciduous tree or large shrub, reaching up to ten metres, with a rounded crown of oval, finely toothed, dark green leaves and, in late spring, small, inconspicuous, greenish flowers, followed in autumn by the showy, pink or orange four-lobed fruits, which split open to reveal the bright orange seeds, hanging on the tree against a blaze of red and orange autumn leaves. It is a tree of great seasonal beauty, and it is valued in gardens for its dependable character and its autumn show.

Hamilton’s spindletree belongs to the staff-tree family, Celastraceae, and it is native to Asia, where it is distributed in Afghanistan, Russia, China, Japan, Korea, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Bhutan. It grows in the forests of the region, and it is closely related to the spindletrees of Europe, sharing with them the same distinctive and beautiful autumn fruits, which have given the whole group their common name.

Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology

Hamilton’s spindletree has a genuine and growing place in both horticultural and botanical research. It has been studied in horticulture for its value as an ornamental, prized for its dependable form, its fiery autumn colour and its showy fruits with their bright orange seeds, and it is grown in temperate gardens, where it is valued for its seasonal beauty. The tree has also been studied in botany, since the genus Euonymus is a large and interesting group, and researchers have examined the classification and the relationships of the Asian species, while the spindle trees as a whole are of interest in the study of the staff-tree family. The species has also been studied in ecology for its role in the forests of Asia. For a tree of such dependable beauty, Hamilton’s spindletree has a steady and growing record of research.

Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications

Ecologically, Hamilton’s spindletree is a generous tree of the Asian forest. Its small flowers feed insects, its autumn fruits feed birds, and its leafy crown gives shelter, while its fiery autumn colour brings life to the forest in the fall.

Its economic value lies mainly in horticulture. It is a handsome ornamental tree, prized for its dependable form, its autumn colour and its showy fruits, and it is grown in temperate gardens and parks, while the hard, fine-grained wood of the spindle trees has also been used for small work. For a grower, Hamilton’s spindletree is a rewarding and dependable tree, and for a gardener it brings fiery autumn colour and jewel-like fruits. The seeds need a little cold — give them a spell in the fridge in damp compost, then sow them in a pot of moist, free-draining compost, keep them lightly watered, and they’ll sprout steadily over a few weeks, growing on into a tree that will reward you every autumn.