What is euonymus? Planting and care. Varieties of euonymus, features of their planting, care and propagation Euonymus description
Admiring the bright colors of the autumn forest, you involuntarily freeze in front of a bushy tree of extraordinary beauty. Its branches with multi-colored leaves are decorated with delightful fruit earrings. People call them “robin berries” - nimble birds peck berries from elegant bushes in the fall. This plant is euonymus (Euonymus).
They say that a poisonous bush was grown by a witch who was offended by people. But then she still took pity on them and made the plant medicinal. And she herself turned into a robin - a gray bird that is not poisoned by the fruits of this beautiful plant and spreads it: it eats the fruit, the seed soon ends up in the ground and a charming bush appears in its place.
There is another legend. During the creation of the plant world, the goddess Flora lost a brooch with flowers from her dress and an earring from her ears. She did not look for her jewelry, but turned them into plants: one with dead flowers from a brooch, the other with earrings.
And as punishment for being lost, she made the plants poisonous. Both the brooch and the earring were lost in one place, which is why the euonymus was born, which bears dead wax flowers in the spring and earring berries in the fall.
All shrubs have a beautiful openwork crown. The leaves are usually dark green in spring and summer. Flowering begins at the end of May, but it does not attract attention either. The plants are especially beautiful in autumn.
At this time, the bushes are completely transformed: in September, in just a week, white, yellow, orange, pink, red, carmine and purple “flashes” flash on them. A single sheet can be painted in 5-6 colors!
By October there are more and more red colors. And with their bright fruits, euonymuses decorate the garden until the onset of severe frosts.
It is no coincidence that the name of the genus - Euonymus - is translated as “alluring beauty” (from the ancient Greek “ey” - the best and “entanglement” - calling, alluring).
The fruit is a dry, leathery, usually four-part capsule containing white, red or brown-black seeds. They are covered with fleshy tissue - the appendix.
Depending on the species, the appendix is colored orange, red or red-brown. The fruits give the plant a special decorative effect in the fall.
Immature pale green boxes, invisible in summer, acquire a bright color in September, which, depending on the species, can be yellow, pink, scarlet, crimson, burgundy or dark purple.
When ripe bolls crack at the seams, it seems as if parachutes with parachutists (several seeds covered with acetum) are hovering on the plant. Only euonymus has such original fruits.
However, it must be remembered that they contain a number of poisonous alkaloids and are not suitable for human consumption.
Young shoots, covered with greenish or brownish bark, in some species are round in cross-section (large-winged, Sakhalin, few-flowered species), in others - tetrahedral (European euonymus, Siebold, Maack, Bunge, Hamilton), persistent longitudinal ridges of gray color.
But there are those (winged, cork) in which, instead of rollers, four sharp cork ribs run along the young shoot, giving the bush a unique appearance, especially in winter, when snow lingers on these ribs.
Euonymus, although distinguished by its decorative nature and unpretentiousness to growing conditions, does not yet receive due attention from our gardeners. Some species are quite winter-hardy, and their cultivation in the middle zone is very possible.
Varieties and types
For landscaping a garden plot, it is good to use the following types:
European - deciduous tree no more than 5-7 m high (sometimes grows as a bush), young branches are green, tetrahedral. In September-October, the leaves become purple-red, and the fruit boxes, cross-shaped, are dark red or pink, with hanging orange seeds.
To produce more fruit, you need cross-pollination. To do this, at least two specimens of this species are planted on the site. European euonymus is undemanding when it comes to soil. Shade-tolerant. At the same time, for the bright autumn color of the leaves, a sunny location of the plant is necessary.
Winged is a deciduous shrub. Shade-tolerant. Its homeland is the Far East, where it grows up to 2 m. In our conditions - up to 1 m, but it can be higher.
Young branches are green, rounded-tetrahedral, with longitudinal brownish cork wings up to 0.5 cm wide. Fruit capsules are dark red, four-membered. The leaves turn bright red in autumn.
Fortune is a creeping evergreen shrub 30-60 cm high (homeland - China). The branches reach a length of 3 m, take root at the nodes, and cling to support, if any. The leaves are small, pointed, leathery, up to 2-6 cm long.
Euonymus Fortune loves loose, fertilized soil. Frost-resistant. Prefers partial shade. It has many decorative forms.
Dwarf is an evergreen ornamental shrub with beautiful leathery leaves. Shade-loving. Vertical shoots reach a height of 1 m. Leaves are 1-4 cm long, finely toothed.
The fruits are pale yellow-greenish capsules and ripen in August-September. When trimmed, the plant makes a wonderful border. And if you graft it onto a Japanese euonymus, you can admire the amazing weeping form of the plant.
Semenov's euonymus is an evergreen shrub up to 1 m high, often creeping. The mountains of Central Asia are considered its homeland, where it grows under the forest canopy. The leaves are leathery, yellowish-green, with short petioles (1.5-6 cm long and 0.5-2 cm wide).
The flowers are small, dark purple, collected in small umbrellas along the edges of the branches, petals with greenish edges. Blooms in July, bears fruit in August. Winter-hardy. Prefers to grow in shady places with moderate humidity.
Japanese in nature (in the south) is an evergreen shrub or liana up to 7 m, in our country it is a shrub up to 0.5 m high. The leaves are 3-8 cm long, leathery, dark green, sometimes shiny on top.
Many of its variegated and small-leaved forms are known. Requires shelter for the winter.
The plant is wonderfully suitable for growing indoors (landscaping apartments, offices, loggias, winter gardens). Variegated forms with yellow or white spots and a border on dark green leaves are photophilous.
The Japanese species easily tolerates dry indoor air, thanks to its leathery leaves, and tolerates partial shade. In summer, it is advisable to take pots with plants out into the open air; in winter, keep them in a cool room (at an air temperature of +5-10 degrees) with sufficient lighting. Water as the soil dries out.
In spring and summer, feed once every 2-3 weeks. Plant the plant in a mixture of turf and leaf soil, peat and sand (2:3:1:1). This plant is very plastic, lends itself well to shaping by pruning (in May and again in early autumn), pinching, bending and twisting shoots. The stem quickly thickens.
Japanese euonymus makes a wonderful bonsai, as well as various geometric shapes (balls, cubes, cones, pyramids) and figures.
From historical sources it is known that Pliny the Younger had formed figures of various animals - deer, elephants, tigers, etc. - growing on green lawns.
Application in the garden
When choosing a shrub for landscaping your garden, consider its dimensions. Thus, there are very impressive plants that, given sufficient space and good care, reach a height and crown diameter of 7-8, and sometimes 10 m.
These are Euonymus macroptera, Maak's, Maksimovich's, Hamilton's, European, broadleaf.
Medium-sized representatives of the genus (corky, Bunge) are more characteristic of the shape of a tall bush, reaching a height and diameter of 4-5 m.
Small shrubs, such as warty, winged, Siebold, and Sakhalin shrubs, are suitable for small gardens. The height of these plants is usually 1-2 m, they grow 2-2.5 m wide. But in all cases there is no need to be afraid of large species, they all tolerate any pruning that can be used to restrain growth and create a dense, compact crown. Many of these plants can be used to create hedges.
Fortune's, dwarf and Koopman's euonymus are creeping and have practically no trunks, but they have many thin recumbent or slightly erect stems, densely covered with numerous evergreen leaves.
With good care (regular feeding and weeding), you can create thick green mats from these plants. And if Fortune's euonymus is light-loving and not very winter-hardy, the last two species are suitable for creating a wonderful lawn in shady areas of the garden. These “creepers” look beautiful in the form of clumps in tree trunks and on an alpine hill.
Care
Shrubs cannot tolerate stagnant moisture. For successful cultivation, neutral or slightly alkaline soils are required; lime should be added to acidic ones.
Different types of shrubs have different attitudes to light. It is better to plant Maak's euonymus in an open place. In partial shade, among tall, overgrown trees, the European and warty species will be comfortable.
When creating a decorative group on a slope, it is better to choose large-winged and Sakhalin shrubs, where they can grow well due to the rooting of the lower branches.
Diseases and pests of euonymus
The main diseases and pests are mold, aphids, caterpillars, mealybugs, etc. At the same time, it was noticed that if everything on the euonymus planted near fruit trees is covered in cobwebs with nests of caterpillars, then on the apple trees growing nearby it is completely clean.
So it can be used to protect the garden from pests, especially since this plant can be easily treated with any pesticide without fear of causing damage to the crop.
Reproduction
Most species reproduce well vegetatively - by dividing the bush, root suckers, and green cuttings.
For cuttings in June-July, young but already quite elastic shoots are chosen. Cuttings 4-6 cm long with one internode are cut from them. They are planted in a greenhouse under a film in a substrate of fertile soil, on top of which sand is poured in a layer of 5-7 cm. The roots develop in 1.5 months.
Seed propagation is somewhat more complicated. When sowing without stratification and in nature, the bulk of seeds germinate only in the second spring. Therefore, immediately after collection, the seeds should be stratified, for which they are mixed with coarse calcined sand or slightly decomposed moistened sphagnum peat (1:2).
For 3-4 months, the seeds are kept at a temperature of 10-12 degrees. When the shell of most of them (70-80%) bursts, the temperature is reduced to 0+3 degrees. And in such conditions they are stored for another 4-5 months.
To prevent them from rotting, before planting they are cleaned of their roots and pickled in a 0.5% solution of potassium permanganate.
Sow euonymus seeds on beds in shallow (about 2 cm) grooves in a substrate of leaf and turf soil, humus and sand (4: 1: 2: 1). Shoots appear in 2-3 weeks. In spring and autumn, it is recommended to mulch the seedlings with peat crumbs in a 3 cm layer.
During the summer, the plants are watered and fed with mullein, and covered with spruce branches for the winter. In the 3rd year they are transplanted to a permanent place.
Euonymus is gas- and smoke-resistant, so it grows well in urban environments.
By properly caring for plants, you can get a dense crown of an interesting shape, because this is where their beauty lies.
Euonymus juice is poisonous! Be careful and careful when pruning plants.
Euonymus is a unique garden shrub that combines excellent qualities: fast growth, unpretentiousness, a variety of varieties, and also has excellent decorative properties. This plant has become widespread in Asia, Europe, and America. Under natural conditions, it lives in mountains, deciduous forests, floodplains and valleys.
Euonymus is often used when organizing hedges, but its scope of use is not limited to this. This shrub is magnificent in group and solitary plantings. In spring and summer, it does not stand out much from the rest of the garden vegetation, providing an excellent green background for other ornamental plants. During flowering, the euonymus can only boast of dim, small and, one might even say, somewhat inconspicuous flowers. But in the fall, not a single person will be left indifferent by the beauty of the bush. Also, its appearance will perfectly improve the appearance of the winter garden.
Among the various types of euonymus there are also small evergreen creeping shrubs that grow well in rockeries, flower beds and rocky hills.
Common types
Euonymus macropterus Rirr.
This tweed of euonymus prefers to grow in groups or alone in moist and shady spruce and cedar-broad-leaved forests in the Primorsky, Khabarovsk territories, Kurilki, Sakhalin, China, Korea and Japan. It is very rarely used as an ornamental plant, but is quite suitable for cultivation in the conditions of the north to St. Petersburg.
It is a deciduous tree, reaching 9 meters in height, often bush-like. The bark of the plant is dark, young branches initially have a green tint, later becoming light brown or gray. The leaves have an oblong-ovate or broadly elliptic shape.
The flowers are small, greenish-white, collected in multi-flowered inflorescences. The fruit is spherical and slightly flattened four-lobed capsules with large wings up to 15 mm in length. When fully ripe, they acquire a dark crimson hue. In the summer, the capsules open to reveal seeds that ripen until the end of September. Begins to bear fruit from the age of seven.
It grows somewhat slowly and is winter-hardy. For good development it needs high air humidity, tolerates shade, but feels more comfortable in good lighting. It propagates mainly with the help of seeds, which must be stored in a box with sand during the cold season. Resistant to the pest that often affects this genus - the euonymus moth. When the fruit ripens, it has incredible decorative properties. It is recommended to be used for single or mass plantings for planting in parks. Cultivated since the end of the 19th century.
Euonymus verrucosa Scop.
In another way, this type of euonymus is called few-flowered. It is found naturally in the mountains of South-Eastern, Southern and Central Europe, as well as in Russia. Distributed in nature reserves of the Baltic states, the Caucasus, and Russia. In nature, it prefers to grow in the undergrowth of deciduous and coniferous forests. This shrub loves good, fertile soils, generously flavored with lime, and tolerates shade well.
The shrub grows up to two meters in length, less often it turns into a tree 5-6 meters in height. It has bright green shoots, which, along with the branches, are strewn with black-brown warts. In this regard, it got its name. Its brown flowers are quite inconspicuous, but create a special charm and color. Its pink fruits look very good against the green background of foliage.
This shrub is especially beautiful in the autumn, when its thin green shoots wear a delicate and light outfit of pink leaves.
It is winter-hardy, slow-growing, unpretentious to the soil, tolerates shade well, and is suitable for organizing hedges, creating group and single plantings. Cultivated since 1973, it is used by gardeners more often than other types of plants.
Euonymus europaea L.
Grows in Russia, Western Europe, the Caucasus, Crimea, Asia Minor. Found in many nature reserves in different countries. They prefer deciduous forests with any soil. It has been used for decorative purposes for a very long time.
This small tree, reaching 6 meters, grows as a bush. Young shoots of the plant are green and often have corky longitudinal growths, while old shoots are almost black. The leaves are ovate or obovate, glabrous, slightly leathery, dark green in color, and acquire a wide variety of red shades in the fall. Unlike the leaves, the flowers of the European euonymus are inconspicuous, greenish-white in color, and flowering lasts 20 days. The bush is also very decorated with fruit boxes that are pink or dark red when ripe.
This type of euonymus has very high drought and frost resistance, loves light, and thrives in urban polluted conditions. It tolerates pruning well, and therefore is ideal for single and group plantings, and excellent for hedges. Pairs well with a variety of plants with yellow or yellow-golden foliage. This type of euonymus has about 20 different decorative varieties.
Dwarf euonymus (Euonymus nanus Bieb)
This type of euonymus is very fond of the slopes and river valleys of the mountain forests of Ukraine, Moldova, the Caucasus, Crimea, Romania and North-West China. It is a plant listed in the Red Book of the USSR. You can see it in the protected Kabardino-Balkarian Nature Reserve.
Dwarf euonymus is an evergreen, creeping, low-growing shrub whose height does not exceed one meter. Young branches are green, covered with many warts, and as the year progresses they acquire a grayish-brown color. The leaves of the bush are quite unusual: oblong in shape and narrowly lanceolate, with a pointed apex and a slightly bent edge. The upper part of it is bright green, the bottom is bluish. The flowers of the euonymus are single and small, grow on long and thin peduncles, and are green or red-brown in color. This type of euonymus very rarely bears fruit in the middle zone, but if this happens, the fruits are presented in the form of a box up to 1 cm, yellowish or pink.
This is a very ornamental plant, known since 1830. It forms very effective and elegant thickets, used to decorate lawns, loose groups, alpine groups, under tree canopies.
Koopmann's Euonymus (Euonymus koopmanni Lauche)
Perhaps this species is the most interesting of those growing in Central Asia. Loves walnut forest canopies and secondary bushes.
Its distinctive feature is the formation of creeping and very long lashes, which, moving along the ground, take root and produce low shoots one meter high. The leaves of the shrub are linear or narrowly lanceolate in shape, slightly curled along the edges. The color of the leaves is dark green, they are bluish below and shiny above. The flowers are often single, but sometimes they are collected in groups of 2-3. Blooms in July. In Russia it ripens quite rarely, but the possibility of vegetative propagation allows it to be grown in this area.
Euonymus miniata Tolm
This type of euonymus is found on the island of Urup and on Southern Sakhalin. It has greenish flowers with shorter wings than Euonymus macroptera. The fruit capsules are bright red. In autumn, all parts of the bush, from large obovate leaves to fruits, literally “light up” in the sun, and in the shade they have a dark purple hue. It tolerates shade well, and therefore in natural conditions is often found in the undergrowth of mixed coniferous forests on slopes. It blooms and bears fruit very profusely. Available in culture exclusively in botanical gardens.
This shrub is very demanding on soils and their richness. The soil should also be light, saturated with air and contain lime. It does not require pruning and is frost resistant. Propagated by spring or autumn sowing of seeds, summer cuttings, layering, as well as root suckers. Perfect for single plantings, creating hedges, and group compositions.
Winged euonymus (Euonymus alata (Thunb.) Sieb.)
It lives on rocky slopes, along mountain rivers and streams, on rocky slopes and in river valleys in Korea, China, Japan and southern Sakhalin. This is a fairly tall shrub with many branches.
Young shoots are reddish in color. The leaves are obovate in shape, sometimes rhombic, dark green in color and very shiny. Not very large flowers are collected in three-flowered inflorescences. The fruit capsules become bright red after ripening. Decorative due to its bright fruits, but also unusual, winged branches. It begins to bear fruit at the age of four. It was introduced into culture in 1910.
Under natural conditions, it takes root quite well in both shady and sunny places, on wet and dry soil. But for the best effect, it is still better to use illuminated areas. It grows rather slowly, but is highly winter hardy.
It looks very advantageous in loose, single plantings, but is also effective in group plantings on the lawn. There are more than 20 varieties of this euonymus in culture.
Maack's Euonymus (Euonymus maackii Rupr.)
Maaka's euonymus prefers to grow on the slopes of hills, in deciduous sparse forests, in the valleys of large rivers, in floodplain meadows, on sandy light and sandy loam soils in the Primorsky Territory, Eastern Siberia, and the North-Eastern Territory.
It is a shrub reaching 1.5-3 meters in height. Sometimes it is a beautiful eight-meter tree, which in free conditions has an openwork, umbrella-shaped crown. The crown of the tree is wrinkled and black. Young branches are green, slightly rounded and tetrahedral, becoming dark gray with age. The leaves of the bush are very large and leathery. In spring they are light green, in summer they become dark green with a lighter underside, and in autumn they become soft pink, decorated with various purple shades. The flowers of the Maak euonymus are greenish-white with purple stamens, which are collected in few-flowered semi-umbrellas. The shrub begins to bear fruit at the age of 5-8 with spherical-pear-shaped boxes of purple or pink color.
This type of shrub is frost-resistant, loves light, resists drought well, loves rich soils, grows quite quickly and tolerates transplants well. It reacts very sensitively and well to fertilizers, propagates very easily using seeds, layering, cuttings, root suckers, bearing fruit a year, or even two, earlier than the seed material.
This type of euonymus will be an excellent decoration of the edges, as a single planting on the lawn, in the form of undergrowth. Very beautiful when the leaves bloom and until late autumn. It is very decorative in the fall, when it is decorated with bright fruits that remain on the bush until the onset of frost. The same spectacular and colorful autumn leaves last until the first frost. In terms of its decorativeness, it is one of the very best among euonymus. Cultivated since 1883.
Sakhalin euonymus (Euonymus sachalinensis(F. Schmidt) Maxim)
The plant is native to East Asia and the Far East. It can also be found in the Lazovsky Nature Reserve. Prefers to grow in mixed forests and birch forests on mountain slopes and river valleys. This is a light-loving mesophyte.
A very, very decorative shrub 2.5 meters in height, with long elliptical leaves.
The flowers are small, purple in color, hanging down on thin peduncles. Flowering of the bush begins in May-June, and fruits form in August-September. This is an ornamental, unpretentious shrub that is very beautiful in the autumn due to the coloring of the leaves and the ripening of spectacular fruits. It takes root well in Central Russia and is often used for making hedges.
Hello, dear readers!
Star time euonymus occurs in autumn, when its leaves turn crimson or bright purple. And the burgundy, pink fruit boxes open their doors and release seeds covered with a cape of bright red tones. By planting at least one euonymus bush on your site, you will admire the crimson-red flame of this amazing ornamental plant in the fall.
In nature, there are more than 220 species of euonymus, of which about 130 are evergreens. More than a dozen species grow on the territory of Russia, most of them have decorative garden forms.
Euonymus in the middle zone it blooms in the second half of May, throwing out many semi-umbrellas of small flowers. Until September, the leaves of the euonymus are nothing unique, but with the beginning of autumn, literally within a week, purple, red, pink, orange, yellow, and white stripes appear on them. And each leaf can be painted in several colors at the same time, but in later autumn the red color begins to predominate.
The fruits of the euonymus look like egg-shaped boxes in which the seeds are placed: white, red, black-brown. In summer it is difficult to notice the fruits, which, like the foliage, are green. But by the end of September they turn purple, burgundy, crimson, scarlet, pink and yellow.
All types of euonymus place high demands on soil fertility; stagnation of water is contraindicated for them; they respond well to liming. They can grow in shade, but achieve better decorative value in sunny places. When transplanted, euonymus takes root well in a new location and is insensitive to heavy pruning, which is important when using it as a hedge.
All parts of the euonymus have found use in many peoples of the world; the fruits and seeds are used in folk medicine. However, we are still more interested in its ability to decorate the site, so from this point of view, let’s get acquainted with the euonymus.
Winter-hardy species of euonymus
Grows in the forests of the middle zone Euonymus warty, so named for the abundance of black-brown warts on the trunk and branches. It is a beautiful shrub up to 3 m high with an openwork crown of elongated leaves. Small red-brown flowers of euonymus are almost invisible in May. In autumn, capsule fruits with a fleshy reddish apex appear, and the leaves turn pink-yellow. This shrub can grow well in shaded areas and is not afraid of winter cold.
Very popular with gardeners, even more elegant European euonymus, originating from the western regions of Europe. This tall bush (4-5 m) will glow brightly on the site in the fall. The color of the leaves becomes scarlet, the fruits become purple-red. Add to this the orange arils, from which black seeds appear as they ripen. Currently, more than 20 garden forms of this wonderful euonymus have been bred, among which there are plants with weeping branches, purple or variegated leaves.
The striking autumn color of the crown and the high winter hardiness of the Far Eastern euonymus are very much appreciated by our gardeners - this is Euonymus Maak. Outwardly, it is similar to the European one, but at the same time more resistant to our cold weather. In sunny places it grows as a single-stemmed tree. At the beginning of autumn, the entire bush seems to be on fire. Among the purple leaves hang pink fruits with red seedlings. They decorate plants before the onset of persistent cold weather.
Euonymus Large-winged by nature a multi-stemmed tree, reaching 8 m, but usually growing as a bush. It has attractive winged carmine-red fruits (up to 15 mm in diameter) attached to long stalks, and yellow-pink leaves in September. This type of euonymus is very beautiful during the fruiting period.
The same colorful leaves and elegant fruits of Euonymus Winged, which grows no more than 2 m. Very beautiful in autumn, low Siebold's euonymus. Its pink-red fruits look impressive against the backdrop of dazzling scarlet leaves. They continue to hang after the leaves fall, at which time the branches can be cut for a winter bouquet.
Low shrubs (1.5-2 m) include the euonymus species Sakhalin. In May, dark burgundy flowers appear on it, and in the fall, among the golden ovoid leaves you can see spherical dark pink fruits with flattened triangular wings. The fruit valves open in warm weather during August, and seeds covered with dark orange arils hang from them.
Euonymus broadleaf grows as a tall bush (up to 5 m) in the forests of the Caucasus, Crimea and Western Europe. This type of euonymus has large (up to 12 cm long) broadly eleptic leaves on short petioles. The purplish-red spherical capsules have 5 lobes and narrow rounded wings, and the seeds are almost completely covered with orange arils. In autumn, its leaves acquire a bright color, the same as those of a similar Euonymus Maksimovich, originating from the Ussuri region, which has dark carmine-red capsules with five short wings and orange-yellow apertures.
Euonymus Sacred- a low shrub (up to 1.5 m) native to Japan. It is distinguished by leaves with serrate edges. From August to October, it displays crimson-red leaves and purple-carmine fruits, from which bright red shoots and black seeds hang on thin threads. This type of euonymus is shade-tolerant and undemanding to the soil.
Although many euonymuses have tetrahedral corky growths on their shoots, they are the widest and strongest in Euonymus cork. In addition, the exotic appearance of the shrub, which grows up to 2.5 m, is given by its intricately branching shoots. In autumn, pink boxes with dark red or purple seedlings appear on them, and the leaves become bright.
All of the listed types of euonymus are widely used in landscape design and can become a worthy decoration for your garden. On a large plot in the shady part, among tall overgrown trees, varieties will be comfortable Red Cascade or Atropurpurea European euonymus, and warty euonymus can be planted next to birch and pine trees.
Euonymus Winged, Broadleaf or Maximovich with decorative fruits can be placed next to apple trees, plums and pears. It is better to plant Maak's euonymus in an open clearing, since it can withstand shading worse than other species. And in a shaded place on the border of the site you will get an original hedge from the Sakhalin or Great-winged euonymus. Both types of euonymus grow back quickly after pruning.
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Sacred euonymus (lat. Euonymus sacrosancta)–decorative shrub; representative of the genus Euonymus of the Euonymus family. Originates from North Korea, Japan, Northeast China and the Russian Far East. It is found in bush thickets, meadows, stream and river valleys, deciduous and mixed forests, as well as on mountain elephants.
Characteristics of culture
Sacred euonymus is a deciduous shrub up to 1.5 m high with a wide branched crown and a tap root system that forms a huge number of surface roots. Young shoots are green, round, tetrahedral, often equipped with thin longitudinal gray or brown wings, reaching a width of 0.5-0.6 cm. Usually this feature is also characteristic of old branches.The buds are small, ovoid, up to 0.4 cm long. The leaves are dark green, membranous, leathery, glabrous, elliptical or oblong-obovate, sharp or obtuse at the ends, with a wedge-shaped base, finely serrated along the edge, up to 8 cm long, sessile on short petioles. On the underside the foliage is lighter and ciliated. In autumn the leaves turn bright red or burgundy red.
The flowers are five-petaled, greenish-white or greenish-purple, inconspicuous, reaching 1-1.2 cm in diameter, collected in simple semi-umbrella inflorescences located on drooping peduncles formed in the axils of the lower leaves of the shoots. The sacred euonymus blooms in May - June, for 10-12 days.
The fruits are spherical, 1-5-locular capsules, covered on the outside with awl-shaped outgrowths, and can be red or pink in color. The seeds are brown, ovoid, up to 0.4 cm long, covered with bright orange or bright red arils. The fruits ripen in September – October.
Like other species of the genus, the sacred euonymus is especially decorative in the second half of summer, when bright fruits begin to form on the bushes, combined with rich green foliage. In autumn, euonymus becomes most attractive due to its red foliage. For this reason, the plants are ideal for autonalia (gardens of autumn flowers), they are in perfect harmony with other shrubs and trees that change the color of their foliage in the autumn.
Also, sacred euonymus is suitable for erecting hedges, decorating rocky gardens and borders. Shrubs can be used in both single and group plantings on the lawn. Euonymus looks very attractive in any composition. Many gardeners consider this species to be the most decorative.
The species is winter-hardy, shade-tolerant, and has an average growth rate. It grows from the second ten days of April to mid-late September; the exact growing season depends on climatic conditions. Sacred euonymus seeds are 100% viable, but soil germination is low and does not exceed 30%. But this species is easily propagated by cuttings; when cuttings are treated with growth stimulants, rooting reaches 95-100%, and we are talking about both green and semi-lignified cuttings.
Features of cultivation
Sacred euonymus is a supporter of slightly acidic, neutral or slightly alkaline, loose, light, water- and breathable, loamy soils. Does not do well in heavy, waterlogged, compacted, clayey and highly acidic areas. It tolerates partial shade easily and develops better in the light. Suitable for growing under tree canopy and near buildings. It is propagated by seeds, cuttings and root shoots; plants have no problems with the latter, since root shoots are formed in huge quantities.The seed method is ineffective and is rarely used. Seeds are sown in autumn in greenhouses or in spring in open ground with preliminary two-stage stratification: 3-4 months at a temperature of 15-20C, 3-4 months at a temperature of 0-3C. Like other ornamental shrubs, the sacred euonymus attracts pests and is often affected by various diseases, as a rule, this occurs when care rules are not followed or unfavorable conditions. Among the pests, it should be noted aphids and apple moths, the caterpillars of which cover the shoots and leaves with a thick web and eat them almost naked, as a result of which the bushes lose their former decorative appearance.
The fight against apple moth is difficult; in order to prevent damage, plants are systematically treated with decoctions and infusions, for example, onion or mustard infusion, decoction of red hot pepper or citrus infusion. When pests and nests are detected, they are collected manually; if treatment is not carried out in time, the caterpillars will begin to spread with enormous speed and infect nearby growing crops.
Euonymus- an amazing plant that grows at home, botanical gardens or greenhouses. It has multi-colored leaves and burgundy-red seed pods. Distributed throughout the world.
general description
They are the main food of birds. Therefore, the fruits of the plant are called “robins”.
Flowering occurs in late spring. The flowers are miniature, inconspicuous, but very fragrant. After flowering, seed pods are formed.
The leaves are decorated with “flares” - multi-colored flowers. One sheet can have 5-6 different shades. You can consider snow-white, amber, fiery orange, lilac, soft pink, carmine and burgundy.
The plant is distributed throughout the world. Euonymus mainly grows in areas where all four seasons are present. In the Russian Federation, the tree grows in the southern and central regions.
Important! The formed seed pods look like small parachutes. They have original beauty. But eating them is strictly prohibited! They contain toxic substances.
Kinds
This representative of the flora covers more than 200 different subspecies. But only 20 can withstand the Russian climate. The plant can decorate flower arrangements. Some species of Euonymus are poisonous, but may have healing properties.
Let's take a closer look at all types of Euonymus with photos.
(verrucosus) refers to deciduous bushes. Forms compactions on shoots. Has low growth rate. Withstands temperature changes. Grown as a decorative representative of the flora. 
(europaeus) is a small deciduous tree. Reaches no more than 7 m in height. Very shade-tolerant. It has smooth stems with four edges. At the end of autumn it forms fruit pods.
(nanus)- an ornamental plant with amazing emerald leaves. Belongs to shade-loving crops. It has vertical stems reaching a height of more than 1 m. By the end of summer it forms fruit boxes.
(alata) is a leafy deciduous shrub. Reaches no more than 2 m in height. Very shade-tolerant. Withstands minor temperature changes. Grows in the north. The plant's homeland is the Far East.
(fortunei)- a beautiful evergreen frost-resistant shrub. Refers to creeping crops. It grows up to 30-60 cm. But the stems grow up to 3 m. They cling to supports and reach for the sun.
Japanese Euonymus (japonicus) grows only in the south. May look like a vine or shrub. It reaches 5-7 m in length. It has elongated leathery leaves. For the winter it requires mandatory mulching. Can be grown at home.
Euonymus Semenov (semenovii) is an evergreen shrub. It reaches a height of no more than 1 m. It belongs to creeping crops. It has elongated leathery leaves of an amber-emerald hue. The petioles of the leaves are very short, growing 2x6 cm.
The flowers are miniature, lilac. They grow along the edges of stems. Collected in umbrella inflorescences. The edges of the flower petals are painted in an emerald hue. Flowering occurs in mid-summer, fruiting in early autumn. The plant grows in mountainous areas. Loves shady areas. Resistant to temperature fluctuations. Winter-hardy.
Great-winged Euonymus (ussuriensis) grows in pine and mixed forests. It is a shade-tolerant plant. It is a deciduous tree reaching a height of 9 m. It can also look like a shrub. The trunk has emerald or brown bark.
The leaves are elongated, wide, elliptical. The flowers are miniature, emerald-white. Collected in forked inflorescences. They grow on elongated peduncles. After flowering, oval fruits are formed. The aperture is amber-orange, with a large number of seeds. Fruiting occurs 7-8 years after planting.
Koopmann's euonymus (koopmanni) grows in Asia and central Russia. Has vegetative propagation. Forms elongated creeping loops adjacent to the soil. Such loops take root very well. New full-fledged shoots can grow from them. The plant reaches a height of no more than 1 m.
It has elongated lanceolate leaves, reaching a length of 7-8 cm. The flowers grow on elongated peduncles. Collected in single inflorescences. Flowering occurs in mid-summer. Grows on any type of soil. Withstands minor temperature fluctuations.
Euonymus red-fruited (miniata) grows on the Kuril Islands. It is also a decoration for greenhouses and botanical gardens. Refers to shade-tolerant crops. It differs from other subspecies in its beautiful burgundy-bloody flowers. After flowering, it forms red seed pods.
In autumn, the leaves and fruits begin to glow. They are decorated with a lilac shade. Does not require crown formation. The plant is demanding on minerally fertilized soils. Responds well to fertilizing. Prefers lime and nitrogen. Cleans the air from dust and carbon monoxide.
Maack's euonymus (maackii)– prefers deciduous forests and river valleys. It reaches a height of 2-3 m. It has an openwork spreading crown. The tree trunk is covered with brown wrinkled bark. The stems are smooth, with four edges. Covered with cork rollers. The leaves are large, elongated, reaching 8-9 cm.
Over time they become very dark. In autumn they turn pink and lilac. The flowers are emerald-white, with a large number of stamens. After flowering, it forms pear-shaped boxes of a lilac hue. The seeds are burgundy-brown in color. Fruiting occurs 5-8 years after planting.
Maksimovich's euonymus (maximovicziana) prefers pine forests. It grows on the slopes of mountainous areas. It is winter-hardy and drought-resistant. Belongs to decorative subspecies. It is a small tree reaching a height of no more than 8 m. It has pink foliage.
Forms burgundy-colored seed pods that are stored until the onset of cold weather. Flowering occurs 11-12 years after planting. Florists use shoots of this representative of the flora in flower arrangements.
Sakhalin euonymus (sachalinensis) grows in Asia and Sakhalin. Prefers birch or mixed forests. Winter-hardy. It is a light-loving mesophyte. Refers to ornamental crops. It reaches a height of 2-2.5 m. It has elongated leaves in the form of ellipses.
The flowers are miniature, lilac. They grow on drooping flower stalks. After flowering, spherical fruits with triangular inclusions are formed. Seedlings are oval, amber in color. Fruiting occurs 6 years after planting.
Sacred euonymus (sacrosancta) grows in China, Korea, Japan. Prefers mixed forests, meadows, coasts, and mountainous terrain. It reaches a height of 1-1.5 m. Ideal for decorating the lawn.
Can be used as a hedge. It has a wide branched crown. Has a slow growth rate. Shade-tolerant. Not picky about soil. It has wing-shaped outgrowths on its shoots. On the seeds there is a small burgundy-colored auricle.
Euonymus broadleaf (latifolius) prefers fir forests. It is a small tree or bush. It has emerald shoots and leaves in the form of ellipses. Flowers grow in inflorescences. Flowering occurs at the end of spring.
The fruits are oval, lilac-burgundy. The seeds are covered with an amber-colored apex. Does not root from cuttings. Refers to ornamental crops.
Euonymus is a beautiful plant, which is a small tree or shrub. Has more than 200 different subspecies. Euonymus varieties are distributed throughout the world. Euonymus varieties have incomparable leaves that are painted in different shades. Poisonous.
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