Range

E. and C. China

Ecology

"The dispersal by birds seems to be well-attested in the literature. It can only be assumed that the poisonous nature of the seeds (p. 227) is confined to the seed proper and is absent from the aril, or that the poison is one to which birds are immune." [1]

Equity: Cultural and Historical Significance

"The Tree has been valued since antiquity because their extracts have potential medicinal values like insecticidal and antioxidant activities etc. The Genus Euonymus is a deciduous and evergreen shrub, small trees, also has many popular landscape ornamental and ground cover shrubs. The genus Euonymus, often called spindle or spindle tree. Plants of the genus euonymus have been recognized for their medicinal values and traditionally have been used for the treatment of tuberculosis, hyperglycemia, cancer, fever, stomach ache, as purgative, emetic and against diabetes." [2]

Economics

"Euonymus is not at present a genus of major economic importance, but its various minor uses may be briefly indicated here. E. europaeus, as well as being an ornamental shrub, has been used as turnery wood, as a source of artists' charcoal, as a dye (extracted from seeds and fruits), as a drug (emetic and purgative), as the source of an oil, which is unfit for human consumption, extracted from the seeds, and the powdered leaves or seeds have been employed to destroy lice... The drug euonymin (" Wahoo root " from the root bark of E. atropurpureus) is very little used nowadays ; it is described in the British Pharmaceutical Codex 1934, but not in the British Pharmacopoeia 1932. The English name of the genus " Spindle " is said to come from the wood having been made into spindles, and the Himalayan E. tingens takes its Latin name, according to its original describer, from the Nepalese employing the bark to mark " the forehead with the idolatrous symbol, commonly called Tika."

E. europaeus is poisonous in all its parts especially the fruit. Children, sheep and goats are recorded as having suffered from its effects (Long). The glucoside euonymin from E. atropurpureus is described as a heartpoison, whose symptoms are deadly nausea, vertigo, prostration and cold sweat ; E. latifolius is also regarded as poisonous." [1]