496 



ARBORETUM AND FRUTICETUM. 



PART 111. 



GENUS I. 



.EUO'NYMUS Tourn. THE EUONYMUS, or SPINDLE TREE. Lin. Syst. 

 Tetra-Hex-andria Monogynia. 



Identification. Tourn. Inst., t. 388. ; Lin. Gen., 271. ; Dec. Prod., 2. p. 3. ; Don's Mill., 2. p. 3. 



Hyntinymcs. Fusain, Bonnet de Pretre, or Bois a Lardoire, Fr. ; Spindelbaum, Ger. 



Derivation. The word uonymus is formed from the Greek, and signifies of good repute ; and Smith 

 states that it has been applied to this genus, or, at least, to the species E. europa> N us, by antiphrasis, 

 as this species is fetid in every part when bruised, and is esteemed poisonous. (Eng. Flora, i. p. 329.) 

 The French word Fusain means a spindle, alluding to the use of the wood for making spindles. 

 Bonnet de Pretre alludes to the form of the capsules, which, when opened, bear some resemblance 

 to a priest's cap ; and it is called Bois a Lardoire from the use made of the wood for skewers or 

 larding-pins. The German name is literally spindle tree. 



1. E. EUROPJE N US L. The European Euonymus, or Spindle Tree. 



Identification. Lin. Sp., 286. ; Dec. Prod., 2. p. 4. ; Don's Mill., 2. p. 3. 



Synonymes. E. vulg&ris Mill. Diet. ; Prick-timber Gerard. ; Louse Berry, Dogwood, Gatteridge 

 Tree; Fusain d'Europe, Bonnet de Pretre commun, Fr. ; gemeine Spindelbaum, Ger. 



Derivation. The English name Prick-timber, or Prick-wood, alludes to the employment of the wood 

 in making toothpicks and skewers, which were formerly called pricks ; and it is called Dogwood, 

 because a decoction of its leaves was used to wash dogs, to free them from vermin. The names of 

 Gatteridge Tree and Gaitre Tree are derived from a Saxon word signifying a cover; from the 

 capsule hanging, like a cover, over the fruit. It is called Louse Berry, because the powdered leaves 

 and berries were formerly put on the heads of children to chase away lice. 



Engravings. Smith's Eng. Bot., t. 362. ; Hayne Abbild., t. 16. ; E. of PI., 2912. ; our fig. 164. ; and 

 the plate of the tree in our Second Volume. 



Spec. Char., $c. Branches smooth. Leaves lanceolate- 

 ovate, very finely sawed. Flowers about 3 upon one 

 peduncle ; the petals oblong, rather acute. Lobes of the 

 capsule obtuse. (Dec. Prod., ii. p. 4.) A shrub or low 

 tree, a native of Europe, in hedges and scattered woods ; 

 plentiful in Britain ; and, though seldom found in a wild 

 state exceeding 10ft. or 12ft. in height, yet, in some 

 situations, attaining, when cultivated, the height of 30 ft. 

 and upwards. It produces its greenish white flowers in 

 May, and ripens its rose-coloured fruits in September. 



Varieties. 



3 E. c. 2 fbliis variegdtis Lodd. Cat. has variegated leaves, but never 



looks healthy. 



X E. e. 3 latifblius Lodd. Cat. has rather broader leaves than the species. 

 * E. e. ^-ndnus Lodd. Cat. is a dwarf-growing plant. 

 E. e. 5 fructu dlbo Lodd. Cat. has white capsules. 

 Nos. 3. and 5. of these varieties are, in our opinion, alone worth culti- 

 vating. 



Description, $c. The roots are very numerous and whitish ; forming a dense 

 mass of network, and not extending to a great distance from the stem. The 

 branches arc numerous and opposite; and the wood hard and fine-grained. 

 The leaves and bark are acrid, poisonous, and fetid when bruised. The cap- 

 sules are of a fine rose colour, except in the white-capsuled variety, and the 

 seeds are severally invested with an aril of a fine orange colour. This last 

 character is conspicuous in the white-capsuled variety, as the colour of the 

 capsule and that of the aril are in more direct contrast than in the species. 



Geography t History, $c. This species is common throughout the middle 

 and northern states of Europe ; it is found in abundance in Sweden, in the 

 north of Germany, in France, and in Britain ; and it is also a native of Greece 

 and Italy. It was noticed by the ancient Greek and Roman writers, and the 

 wood seems, from the earliest ages, to have been used for various domestic 

 purposes, more particularly for making netting -needles and spindles ; and its 

 uses in France and Germany, even at the present day, are very numerous. In 



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