Hello. Found a number of small trees in Appalachian woods, northern VA. They are definitely Euonymus and I am guessing either E. atropurpureus or E. europaeus. Either one would be uncommon due to deer population but E. atropurpureus would be native to this area and grows over calcareous rock which is what these trees are doing. E. europaeus is possible as there are houses and properties surrounding the woods and any one could have an E. europaeus growing in the backyard. Problem is these 2 species are so close in characteristics I can't find a definitive way to tell them apart...I was lucky enough to find a fruit pod but it is not ripe...can anyone tell from pod which species this is?
I love Euonymus..in old garden used to grow many sp and named cultivars. I have consulted Bean...Euonymus europaeus and Euonymus atropurpureus seems to be pretty identical. Quote Bean.....'Atropurpureus' Young shoots and leaves suffused with purple; autumn colour crimson." Euonymus europaeus - Trees and Shrubs Online Below are my images for E. europaeus...always assuming I have it id correctly. More pics below in another post...to show the leaves/flowers.
Euonymus europaeus - Plant Finder (missouribotanicalgarden.org) says flowers are yellowish green and "bloom in 3-5 flowered cymes from late April to June"; leaves to 3" long. Euonymus atropurpureus - Plant Finder (missouribotanicalgarden.org) says "purple flowers appear in the leaf axils in late spring"; leaves to 5" long. Euonymus atropurpureus in Flora of North America @ efloras.org adds "Inflorescences terminal or axillary, 7–20-flowered.". Can you wait until next year? :) Or maybe you can find some inflorescences - it seems that E. atropurpureus has much larger clusters. And it should have some longer leaves.
The key on the genus level page at Flora of North America highlights how the fruits of the two species differ. Euonymus in Flora of North America @ efloras.org
Thank you Ron...as always. That is interesting. I tried it out on my pics. Euonymus europaeus, above..check out as OK. White anthers. Orange aril. Euonymus hamiltonianus ....aril red. Yes! Then checked pics of Euonymus hamiltonianus Coral charm...anthers coloured purple ...not white as E. europaeus. Yes!
Thank-you so much everyone for your help!! Silver: Thank-so much for pics...looking at aril colour I think mine is redder and maybe if ripe would have been redder still? I agree Euonymus is absolutely beautiful and though I have trouble keeping it alive in VA due to deer I often see E. americanus in NC woods....it doesn't seem to survive for long in any one patch but it bounces around and I know I'll find it somewhere. Wendy: The plant in question is just beyond tip of my property line so I surreptitiously moved the marking tape a few feet (that way gun, chainsaw wielding neighbours won't be able to damage it!)....it is in a tiny patch that is bordered by rock shelf that deer don't seem to want to scale...basswood, redbuds, moonseed, bloodroot, Viburnum prunifolium and this Euonymus have all accumulated in this tiny space because they were not accessible....and of course there is a sizable cousin of the Euonymus...Celastrus orbiculatis in there trying to strangle everyone! So, I can wait 'til next yr for flowering and that will be the definitive ID as you said. Thank-you for confirming that this is the best way to differentiate between the two. Ron: I can as Wendy says wait for flowering next yr....but if I could make a guess earlier....your link was perfect! Thank-you so much! As per the guide I checked the aril and seed of the unripe pod I found. Surveyed my kids....daughters say orange, son and I say going towards red and if was more ripe probably redder. Seed we all agreed shape fits ellipsoid not obovoid....upshot...90% sure I found E. atropurpureus! So which one do you think I found? I found these pics for comparison..... (first one needs translation from Polish but pics say it all.... E. europaeus seeds) http://debiany.pl/drzewa/trzmielina/trzmielina_pospolita.html https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Euonymus_atropurpureus_seeds_Ames-30370.jpg Aril in pic is a bit lighter (over exposed) than it really is..... red orange not yellow orange (IMO)
The European spindle is native here, though not so frequent around where I live. The vernacular name is "bonnet de prêtre", "Priest's bonnet", referring to the shape of the fruit, similar to the headpiece priests used to wear a century or two ago. To stay in the field of botanics, pattypan squash is also called "bonnêt de prêtre" - even in Canada apparently : Pâtisson Bonnet de Prêtre - www.terrepromise.ca And on top of (t)hat : The name "pattypan" derives from "a pan for baking a patty". Its French name, pâtisson, derives from a Provençal word for a cake made in a scalloped mould. (The kind of totally useless things I like to know... ;°D)
Merci beaucoup Alain! Not useless at all! I find it fascinating and makes remembering the vernacular names easier if you know their origin! However, if 2 completely different plants have the same name...well, that can lead to an interesting conversation :)
