#129 SPINDLE TREE OF YEDO
Euonymus hamiltonianus
Planted: 1935
This tree is on the north side of the Central Path, near the bridge.
| Distribution: | Native to Asia. Yedo is the former name for Tokyo, before 1868. |
| Planting Date: | Purchased in 1935 from Waterer’s Nurseries, Bagshot, Surrey as Euonymus yedoensis. |
| Growth Habit: | Shrub, 2-3 m tall and wide, rarely larger; squat, branches forming a funnel, slow-growing |
| Leaf: | The leaf blades are somewhat oval with pointed tips and measure up to 15 centimeters long. They are leathery to papery in texture with rough surfaces and slightly wavy edges.Elliptical, medium-green, splendid autumn colours from September on, in pink hues next to the pink fruit, also reddish orange. |
| Flowers: | The inflorescence is a cymose cluster of several white flowers, each nearly a centimeter wide. May to June |
| Fruit: | Light carmine (pink), orange seed cases; from September; exceptionally profuse fruits |
| Toxicity: | All parts may cause severe discomfort if ingested. |
| Potential tree size: | A shrub of 3 m or a tree up to 20 m. |
| Uses: | Ornamental |
| Plant Hunter: | Carl Ludwig Blume (1796 – 1862) a German-Dutch botanist. Named by Bernhard Adalbert Emil Koehne (1848 – 1918), professor of Botany in Berlin. |
| Introduction Date: | 1865 |
| Anecdotes and Comments: | A number of novel chemical compounds have been isolated from this plant. Royal Horticultural Soiciety Award of Merit 1924 |