Spindle - Euonymus europaeus

Much branched hairless shrub or small tree 2 to 6 metres. Twigs green, smooth and rounded in early growth, later four longitudinal ridges create a squarer cross-section, finally becoming brown with corky outgrowths.. Leaves opposite and finely toothed. Flowers greeny-white 8 to 10 mm usually 4 parted, several borne in branched cymes. Capsules distinctive and bright pink, four lobed, 10 to 15 mm pendent, splitting to reveal orange seeds.

Woods and scrub - often planted.

Flowers May to June

Deciduous

Fairly common in Britain Northwards to Scotland, but less so North of the border.

Occasional in Leicestershire and Rutland and possibly mostly due to unrecorded planting. In the 1979 Flora survey of Leicestershire it was found in 17 of the 617 tetrads.