Euonymus: photo and description of the shrub

Euonymus is a tree or shrub with a very characteristic and catchy appearance. Euonymus leaves can change color during the season, and its fruits are a wonderful decoration for the autumn garden. This plant is widespread due to its use in landscape design. Next, various varieties, photos and descriptions of the euonymus will be presented.

Euonymus – edible or not

The answer to the question of whether the euonymus is poisonous or not has long been found. Almost all species of euonymus are poisonous. In addition, its fruits have a very unattractive taste that causes a gag reflex.

The concentration of poisonous alkaloids in the fruits and stems of the plant is not so high, therefore, in order to be poisoned by them, it is necessary to eat a fairly large number of berries, which, given their extremely unpleasant taste, is very unlikely. And, nevertheless, the plant should be handled quite carefully, preventing its juice from getting on the mucous membranes.

In addition, children may have an age-related taste distortion, and the amount of bush berries eaten can be quite large.

Symptoms of poisoning with euonymus can be very diverse, but always include vomiting, diarrhea and pain in the intestines. Actually, this is not surprising, since poisoning with a large amount of poison leads to intestinal bleeding.

Help provided at home with such poisoning will be completely ineffective, so you should definitely call an ambulance. Poisoning with euonymus poison is fatal, therefore, such symptoms should not be ignored at the slightest suspicion of contact between the victim and the euonymus fruits.

Types and varieties of euonymus with a photo

The considered shrub belongs to the family of plants of the same name Bereskletovye. It has about a hundred genera and about one and a half thousand species. 142 species belong directly to the genus Beresklet, about 25 of which grow on the territory of the Federation.

The most widespread are 2 species that have taken root well in the middle lane: Warty and European euonymus. Their main habitat is the borders of mixed forests.

Euonymus can be both deciduous and evergreen. Its stems often have a characteristic ribbing, but sometimes rounded shoots are also found. The leaves of the euonymus are always arranged oppositely.

Small flowers, although inconspicuous (predominantly dark green or brownish hue), are very numerous. They are collected in 4-5 pieces in inflorescences such as a brush or shield. Euonymus fruits are four-part boxes, painted in orange, bright red or red-brown colors. They can be seen from afar, and they are very attractive in most varieties of euonymus.

Mainly euonymus is used in landscape design as a hedge; The photo shows an example of such a design solution:

Next, the most common varieties of euonymus used for decorating gardens, parks and household plots will be presented.

Beresclet Harlequin

A low plant with dense branches, occupying a fairly large area. Height – up to half a meter. Able to braid fences up to 1,5 m high. It belongs to evergreens (does not shed them in winter). The real color of its leaves is variegated, including white, green and pink shades. The leaves are medium-sized, up to 4 cm long and 3 cm wide.

Refers to creeping varieties. Ideal for use as a border or alpine slide. Prefers partial shade, but can also grow in full sun. Requires neutral soil.

The spindle is large

Ornamental trees and shrubs of the large-winged euonymus can reach up to 9 m in height. The plant has flat shoots of a wide variety of colors. Dark green or blue-violet shades prevail. A feature of the shoots is the presence of small warty growths.

The plant blooms in late spring. The inflorescences are quite large (up to 21 flowers in one inflorescence) and clearly visible, which is not typical for many varieties of euonymus. The fruits are boxes of various shades of red. The name of the plant comes from the characteristic “wings” of the fruit.

Euonymus Variegated

Variety bred in Japan. A characteristic feature is the leaves bordered with white or yellowish color. It is mainly cultivated as a houseplant, but in the southern regions or regions with mild winters it can be grown outdoors. The temperature at which the plant does not die should be at least -10 ° C.

It belongs to low shrubs, the growth of which does not exceed 50-60 cm. It does not like waterlogging, the roots may even begin to rot. Requires regular transplants every 3-4 years.

Spiny euonymus

A variety intended for braiding fences and MAFs. Prefers sunny areas, grows very slowly in the shade. The length of the shoots can reach 4 m. It has several varieties, including dwarf ones, with a shoot height of not more than 1 m, they are used as cover plants.

Without additional supports, it can independently braid objects up to 1 m high. It prefers slightly alkaline soils. Due to the high growth rate, it requires abundant watering and frequent top dressing – up to 1-2 times a month.

Hamilton’s euonymus

The homeland of the plant is Central Asia, however, the plant feels great in a temperate climate, it was even brought to the USA. A feature of cultivation is the absolute unpretentiousness of the species.

Height, depending on growing conditions, can reach from 3 to 20 m. Inflorescences have 4 large flowers. Due to their large number, flowering occurs for almost three months from April to July. Fruiting – from August to November. All this time the plant has a very attractive appearance.

Euonymus yellow

The bush of this variety has a spherical shape. The diameter of the “ball” can reach up to 1 m. The shoots are strong and straight. Leaves up to 5 cm long, up to 3 cm wide. A characteristic feature is the yellow color of the foliage, which it acquires within a few weeks after blooming.

Requires loose and dry soils. Prefers sunny areas, in partial shade growth rates are reduced by 10-20%, however, the bush is able to reach the same size as in the sun.

Euonymus green

The plant is native to Southeast Asia. It is a tree-like shrub, reaching a height of up to 5 m. When grown, it rarely reaches 2,5 m. It belongs to evergreens. Leaves up to 7 cm long and 3 cm wide.

In landscape design, it is mainly used for the formation of hedges. Dwarf forms are ideal for borders. It can grow on rocky soil and can go without water for a long time.

Beresklet Zibolda

Shrub, up to 4 m high. In a cold climate – no more than 2 m. It has dense leaves of rather large sizes (up to 17 cm long and 9 cm wide). The flowers are large, up to 15 mm in diameter, the inflorescences are also not small: they include up to 17 flowers.

Flowering occurs at the end of May. Despite the inconspicuousness of the flowers (they are light green), the plant is transformed due to their large number. The duration of flowering is up to 1 month, after which fruiting occurs. The number of fruits is very large, which makes the plant a very attractive option for certain design solutions.

Dwarf euonymus

Refers to evergreen ornamental plants, with small shoots. Their height rarely exceeds 0,4-0,5 m. However, occasionally vertical shoots can reach up to 1 m. The leaves of this variety are 3-4 cm long, they are narrow (no more than 1 cm wide) and finely serrated .

Prefers shade, dislikes sun. Even in partial shade it grows very slowly. It is a long-lived plant, can live up to 60 years. Ornamental trees and shrubs of the dwarf euonymus are used both for the design of borders and for filling flower beds and mixborders.

Beresklet Koopmana

Refers to the “semi-evergreen” shrubs of low growth. The height of the shoots rarely exceeds 1 m. It has a transparent crown with a slight degree of thickening. Shoots are predominantly white-green. The leaves are very narrow, up to 10 cm long.

Flowering occurs in May, fruiting in August. During these periods, the plant is very decorative. The lifetime of one plant is 25-30 years. It is used to create small borders, rock gardens and ridges.

Euonymus Compactus

An ornamental dense shrub with a wide crown and leaves, the color of which changes to pink-red by autumn. It has a height of no more than 120 cm, however, the crown diameter can reach 2 m. It prefers to grow on sandy loam and loam, which is not typical for spindle tree.

Very photophilous, performs well in sunny areas. It tolerates shearing and pruning normally, so it can be used as a low formed hedge. Mandatory sanitization twice a season due to high growth rates.

Euonymus red

Variety of British origin. A large shrub, with spreading shoots, up to 4 m high and 2-3 m in diameter. With prolonged cultivation, it is able to “turn” into a tree from a shrub. The foliage changes color twice a season: in late summer it becomes slightly crimson, and in mid-autumn it turns into a bright purple carpet.

Grows in full sun or partial shade. Undemanding to soil types. It can grow even on excessively moist soils and in urban environments. It is used as part of the design of the flower bed or as a stand-alone plant.

Beresklet Maaka

Refers to deciduous shrubs that can reach up to 10 m in height. Often the central shoot turns into a kind of “trunk”, which is why this variety is often referred to as trees. Leaves up to 12 cm long, 8 to 30 mm wide. It is of Far Eastern origin.

Prefers sunny areas and moist soils of neutral acidity. Can grow in sandy soils. Ornamental trees and shrubs of the Poppy euonymus are mainly used as free-standing plants or in a flower ensemble in flower beds.

Maksymovich Beresklet

Quite a large shrub, in rare cases – a tree. The height of the artisanal form is up to 4 m, the height of the tree is up to 7 m. It belongs to varieties that change color. In September, the leaves change color from light green to purple. Its fruits have the same color and, after the leaves fall, help the plant to maintain its decorative effect. Flowering begins in May and lasts up to 1 month.

The plant has a low growth rate. So, fruiting occurs after 10 years of life. Prefers dry soils, does not like waterlogging. The acidity of the soil is necessarily alkaline.

Euonymus flat-petiolate

It is a low tree (up to 3 m) or a very thinned shrub with olive-colored shoots. Very often, the shoots or trunk of this variety are covered with a bluish hue. The plant is of Chinese origin.

The leaves are very long – up to 19 cm in length. Width up to 9 cm. Inflorescences have a record number of flowers – up to 30 pieces. The peduncles themselves are also quite noticeable – their height reaches 15 cm. Ornamental trees and shrubs of the flat-petiolate euonymus are used as single plants or as a central plant in a group.

creeping euonymus

Creeping or ground cover euonymus refers to the dwarf forms of this plant, the height of which in the vertical plane does not exceed 30-40 cm. However, its shoots can be up to several meters long, spreading over the soil surface and braiding small landscape elements in the form of stones or stumps .

The variety in question is mainly used to create continuous covers on alpine slides or lawns. The area covered by one plant is up to 12-15 square meters. m. The plant loves partial shade and moist soil.

The ground cover euonymus is shown in the photo below:

Cork euonymus

A plant originating from China. It is a winter-hardy shrub up to 2,5 m high with strong shoots that can branch very well. A feature of the plant is the appearance of a layer of cork bark on the shoots of adult plants. This layer is highly durable and beautiful in appearance.

It prefers soils of moderate moisture and, despite the fact that it does not like overly moist soil, requires abundant watering. Grows in moderately alkaline soils. It is uncritical to lighting – it can grow both in the sun and in the shade.

Ornamental trees and shrubs of cork euonymus are used mainly as single plantings.

Euonymus Red cascade

It is considered one of the best plants for creating decorative hedges. The height of the bush reaches 4 m, and its diameter is up to 3 m. The leaves are dark green in summer, bright purple or bright yellow in autumn.

Prefers sunny areas. It has high frost resistance and drought resistance. Undemanding to soils.

Despite drought resistance, it requires abundant watering and top dressing. Feels good in urban pollution.

Euonymus pink

Spherical shrub, up to 1,5 m high and up to 2 m in diameter. Leaves up to 10 cm long, 2-3 cm wide.

The color change from light green to pink occurs, traditionally, with the onset of autumn. Fruits appear after the leaves begin to change color.

Grows on neutral soils with low humidity. Prefers partial shade but will do well in full sun. It is an ornamental plant intended to be grown as free-standing elements or central elements of a composition.

Beresclet Sunspot

Evergreen shrub with an oval shape. The height of the plant is small – up to 30 cm, and the diameter of the crown is about 60-70 cm. Its color is similar to the color of the Harlequin variety, but it is expressed exactly the opposite: the light areas of the leaves are not along the perimeter, but in the middle.

It belongs to indoor varieties, because it has low frost resistance. Even with a minimum “minus” the plant dies, therefore it is not intended for cultivation in open ground in the climate.

Euonymus Sakhalin

Deciduous shrub of Far Eastern origin. The height of the plant is up to 2 m, the shoots are very dense, the foliage of an adult plant practically hides them. The leaves themselves are up to 11 cm long and up to 8 cm wide. They have a leathery structure and shine in the sun.

Flowering of the plant occurs in July, fruiting in September. Prefers sunny areas and loose, dry soil. However, it can grow in stony or sandy soils with sufficient nutrition. It is used as an ornamental plant for creating borders and fences.

Holy scripture

Low plant with a crown up to 1,5 m in height and the same diameter. The crown has a high degree of branching. The leaves are brown all summer, turning bright red in autumn. In this case, the color change occurs almost simultaneously with the ripening of the fruit.

Grows on neutral dry soils. Loves the sun, in the shade and partial shade grows slowly. Ornamental trees and shrubs of the sacred euonymus have a universal application. In design, they can be used both as individual, single elements, and as hedges or flower bed fillers.

Creeping variegated euonymus

It is a kind of creeping euonymus with a slightly different leaf color. It is variegated, and the core of the leaves remains green, and at the edges they become white or yellow. The height of the cover can reach 30 cm, and the surface area covered by one bush reaches 13 square meters. m.

Planting and caring for the variegated euonymus are quite simple and trivial. Subject to the basic rules of plant care (maintaining neutral soil acidity, infrequent watering, fertilizing with complex fertilizer twice a season and regular pruning), the plant feels great and does not need any additional care.

Beresclet Faerball

In fact, it is a kind of red or winged euonymus with the only difference that the crown has a more spherical shape and greater density. The rest of the characteristics are identical to the red euonymus.

Plant height is 3-4 m, crown diameter is the same. It is undemanding to soils, prefers to grow in the sun. In the shade or partial shade, the shape of the crown without pruning will be far from a perfect ball.

Euonymus Chicago Fire

Also a kind of red euonymus, but more “flattened”. The height of the crown rarely exceeds 2 m, but its diameter can reach up to 3,5 m. The color change of the leaves occurs at the end of August.

Grows in sunny areas. In the shade, it almost never changes color, although it can reach the same size. Prefers neutral or slightly alkaline soils. Frost resistance up to -25 °C.

Stencil leaves

It belongs to upright ornamental shrubs up to 5 m high. It has large leaves (12 cm long and 8-10 cm wide). The leaves are bright green in color. The color does not change during the season. Flowering begins in June and lasts about 1,5 months. Fruit ripening occurs in September.

Prefers shade or partial shade with moist soil. Grows equally well on soils with any acidity. Frost resistance up to -30 °С. In design, it will be used as a hedge, but it is difficult to call its frequent use. The plant has a very strong odor and can cause allergies.

Euonymus Emeraldgaeti

Evergreen creeping euonymus, reaching a height of no more than 25 cm. The size of the leaves is 4 by 3 cm. The edge of the sheet has a white or yellow border, about several mm thick. Flowering occurs at the beginning of summer, its duration is about a month.

Grows in both sun and shade. It has no requirements for the soil, neither for moisture, nor for acidity. It is a plant that can tolerate almost any conditions. Withstands frosts down to -30 °C. The only problem when growing is anthracnose and powdery mildew. To combat them, preventive spraying is recommended at the beginning of the season.

Euonymus Emeraldgold

Bushes of this variety grow to a height of up to 60 cm. The crown diameter can reach up to 1,5 m. The bush is quite dense, having medium or high growth rates. The leaves are leathery, having an oblong shape, up to 4 cm long. The color of the leaves is yellowish-green.

The plant reaches normal development only in sunny areas. Prefers moist soils that should nevertheless be well drained. However, it tolerates drought well. Frost resistance is moderate – the plant is able to tolerate frosts down to -25 ° C. It is used as borders, flower bed fillers and standard plants.

Features of caring for euonymus

Depending on the variety of euonymus, care for it can be very diverse. Therefore, before choosing a plant for a particular design solution, you should study the features of caring for a particular variety so that there are no unpleasant surprises.

Mostly the plant prefers partial shade. Although, there are exceptions: for example, Maak’s euonymus loves sunny areas. While the warty and European varieties, which are widespread in Our Country, have the highest growth rates in the shade.

The plant prefers fertile soil with good aeration. The soil should be sufficiently soft and loose. The level of soil modes should not be less than 70 cm deep, since excessive moisture of the roots, although not detrimental to the plant, will significantly reduce its growth rate. The same applies to heavy clay soils and even loams.

The acidity of the soil should be slightly alkaline (pH from 7,5 to 8), in extreme cases, planting a plant on neutral soil is allowed. Too acidic soils need liming with lime or wood ash.

After planting, plant care is quite simple and includes loosening the soil and infrequent watering. The plant tolerates drought much better than waterlogging, so it is not worth watering more than 1 time in 3 weeks.

Top dressing of the plant should be carried out twice a year: in early spring and in mid-summer. In both cases, complex fertilizer for ornamental plants is used. It is best to apply it diluted in water, pouring the liquid 20-30 cm from the trunk.

The plant needs sanitary pruning every spring. Their procedure is standard: removal of diseased, dried and broken branches.

For the winter, it is advisable to cover young plants with foliage or spruce branches. The thickness of the cover layer should be at least 30 cm. In early spring, in order to avoid overheating of young plants, the cover should be removed after the first thaw. As soon as the euonymus reaches 3-4 years of age, it does not need shelter, since adult plants can tolerate frosts down to -35-40 ° C.

If the care of the plant is correct, it is practically not overcome by diseases. The only problem for him will be a spider mite. This is a fairly serious pest that requires the use of highly effective means, for example, a wide range of acaricides, which Aktellik can act as. In some cases, even prophylactic treatment of euonymus with acaricides is recommended.

Conclusion

Considering the varieties, photo and description of the euonymus, we can conclude that the potential for using this plant in landscape design is very high. With a variety of sizes, colors and growing habits, these related plants are a never-ending source of inspiration for any designer or gardener. Among the variety of varieties considered, it is difficult to find one that would not be suitable for the implementation of a particular design solution.