Spindle - Euonymus europaeus

The Spindle Euonymus europaeus is a small deciduous tree, usually only a couple of metres high. The flowers are small and cream, the leaves go orange in the autumn, but its real glory is its seedpods in the autumn. They are the most luscious coral pink, and open up to reveal bright orange fleshy seeds.

Spindle 'berries'.

The seeds are attractive birds, and the tree grows anywhere the birds take them - hedgerows, woodland fringes or fence lines where the soil is chalky. The wood is extremely hard and as the name suggests, was once used to make spindles, for spinning wool while you walk, talk and think of other things. Because of its fine grain and the ease with which it can be split, it can be sharpened to a thin point and was used to make toothpicks, knitting needles, arrows and skewers. Apparently it was also used to make birdcages.

I was told recently that it makes the best artists charcoal, and this seems to be the one use for this wood that has continued into modern times (although a quick check of the internet revealed that it is not at all easy to get - almost all artists charcoal seems to be made of willow these days). It's the sort of thing an enterprising and determined artist could make for themselves though.

The French expression for charcoal sketch is dessin au fusain. This shows you how closely associated with artists charcoal the plant was, at least in France - the French name for Spindle is le fusain, and the word is now a generic term for artists charcoal, even when it is made from willow.

Susan