Trees or shrubs, often climbing. Leaves alternate or opposite, simple. Stipules, when present, small and caducous. Flowers regular, generally perfect, small. Pedicels commonly jointed. Calyx 4-5-lobed or parted, persistent, the lobes imbricated. Petals 4-5, spreading. Stamens inserted on the disk, alternate with the petals. Disk conspicuous, flat or lobed. Ovary sessile, its base distinct from or confluent with the disk, mostly 3-5-celled; style short, thick; stigma entire or 3-5-lobed; ovules 2 in each cell, anatropous. Fruit (in our species) a somewhat dehiscent 2-5-celled pod. Seeds arilled; embryo large; cotyledons foliaceous.

About 45 genera and 375 species, widely distributed in warm and temperate regions. Leaves opposite.

Large erect or decumbent shrubs; fruit 3-5-lobed; aril red.

1.

Euonymus.

Low spreading shrubs; fruit oblong; aril whitish.

2.

Pachystima.

Leaves alternate; woody vine.

3.

Celastrus.

1. EUÓNYMUS [Tourn.] L. Sp. Pl. 197. 1753.

Shrubs, with opposite petioled entire or serrate leaves, and perfect cymose axillary greenish or purple flowers. Calyx 4-5-cleft, the lobes spreading or recurved. Petals 4 or 5, inserted beneath the 4-5-lobed disk. Stamens 4 or 5, inserted on the disk. Ovary 3-5-celled; style short or none; stigma 3-5-lobed. Capsule 3-5-celled, 3-5-lobed, angular, rounded or winged, the cavities 1-2-seeded, loculicidally dehiscent. Seeds enclosed in the red aril. [Ancient name of the spindle-tree; also spelled Evonymus.]

About 65 species, of the north temperate zone. Besides the following, 2 others occur in California. Type species: Euonymus europaeus L.

rods tuberculate; low shrubs; flowers greenish pink; leaves subsessile.

Erect or ascending; leaves ovate-lanceolate, acuminate.

1.

E. americanus.

Decumbent, rooting at the nodes; leaves obovate, obtuse.

2.

E. obovatus.

Pods smooth; high shrubs; leaves distinctly petioled.

Flowers purple; cymes 6-15-flowered.

3.

E. atropurpurcus.

Flowers greenish yellow; cymes 3-7-flowered.

4.

E. europacus.

1. Euonymus Americànus L. Strawberry Bush

Fig. 2797

Euonymus americanus L. Sp Pl. 197. 1753.

A shrub, 2°-8° high, with 4-angled and ash-colored twigs, divaricately branching. Leaves ovate-lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate, thick, 1 1/2' - 3' long, 1/2'-1' wide, acuminate at the apex, acute or obtuse at the base, nearly sessile, crenulate, glabrous, or sparingly hairy on the veins beneath; peduncles 6"-12" long, very slender, 1-3-flowered; flowers greenish, 5"-6" broad; petals separated, the blade nearly orbicular, erose or undulate, the claw short; capsule slightly 3-5-lobed, not angular, depressed, tuberculate.

In low woods, southern New York to Florida, Illinois, Nebraska and Texas. June. Bursting-heart. Fish-wood. Burning bush.

1 Euonymus Americ Nus L Strawberry Bush 1139