Euonymus cornutus Seeds | Horned Spindle
LATIN NAME: Euonymus cornutus
COMMON NAME: Horned Spindle
Plant Profile
Horned Spindle (Euonymus cornutus) grows as a neat, deciduous shrub, native to Tibet, central China and myanmar, it grows in mountain woodlands and thickets. Horned spindle is a neat, deciduous shrub of mountain garden, its slender, upright branches clothed in pointed, finely toothed leaves that turn a rich, fiery crimson in autumn. Flowers are small and greenish, appearing in late spring, and they are easy to overlook, but autumn fruit and foliage more than compensate. Through the flowering season it keeps visiting bees well supplied. It is the sort of plant that quietly justifies the space it occupies.
Science & Biotechnology
As part of the Euonymus group, Euonymus cornutus contributes to research on plant classification and adaptation, while nurseries and gardeners continue to trial it for cultivation. Horned spindle has a real and growing place in the research. A long cultivation history means growers know what to expect from it.
Uses & Benefits
In the garden, Horned Spindle earns its place in borders, containers and mixed plantings, and it also rewards growers who raise plants for cutting, drying or kitchen use. Ecologically, horned spindle is a generous plant of the garden. Its small flowers feed bees and insects, and its curious, colourful fruits feed birds, while its fiery autumn colour makes it a valued presence in shrubbery through the season. In hedge or mixed border it gives a quiet, steady structure all year, and then it finishes autumn with its bright, horned capsules and its crimson leaves. In later seasons it demands little more than an appreciative eye.
Spindle trees are brilliant autumn ornamentals; their bark and seeds are toxic and appear only in historical external folk remedies, so they are grown for color, not use.
Growing from Seed
Sow fresh seed of Horned Spindle under ordinary good conditions. Sow the seed evenly over the surface and cover lightly, using a loose, well-drained seed compost, and keep it just moist in full sun until the seedlings are well up. When the young plants are big enough to handle, space them into pots or a nursery row and let them size up before their final move.
Our Take
Its long record of traditional use, described above, gives the plant a story beyond ornament. Once established, Horned Spindle largely looks after itself. Careful watering early on is rewarded by toughness at maturity.
Related Reading
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