States
North CarolinaTennesseeGeorgiaSouth CarolinaKentuckyAlabamaFloridaVirginia
Menu

European Spindle Tree

Euonymus europaeus

Found in suburban woodlands, uncommonly cultivated, rarely naturalized. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Northern Tier edition What its natural habitat tells you

—
Not native

Not native to Virginia. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 65%

Height
12–20 feet
Spread
10–16 feet
Light
Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture
Somewhat dry to moist
See native alternatives

Plant this instead

Choose your county to list local plants first.

  • Yellow Passionflower
    Passiflora lutea

    Sun: Full sun, Partial shade. Soil: Somewhat dry to moist. Flowers: Cream, yellow or white.

    Similar growth form, height, evergreen or deciduous

    Different: spread

  • Virginia Virgin's-bower
    Clematis virginiana

    Sun: Dappled sunlight, Deep shade, Full sun, Partial shade. Soil: Usually moist. Flowers: White.

    Similar growth form, height, evergreen or deciduous

    Different: spread

Refine these alternatives in the finder

Check a whole list of plants

At a glance

Life cycle
Perennial
Leaves
Deciduous

Not yet recorded · Bloom

Recorded in 8 Virginia counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

Forests and woodlands

Forest or woodland where the source does not say how moist or dry.

All habitats

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

14CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including VA

Genus host records with ranges including VA · Euonymus

  • Ectropis crepusculariaThe Small Engrailed, Saddleback Looper
  • Herpetogramma thestealisZigzag Herpetogramma, Subtle-Feathered Grass Moth
  • Hyalophora cecropiaCecropia Silkmoth, Cecropia Moth
  • Hypena scabraGreen Cloverworm Bomolocha, Black Snout
  • Hyphantria cuneaFall Webworm
  • Morrisonia confusaConfused Woodgrain
  • Morrisonia latexFluid Arches, Fluid Mamestra
  • Orgyia leucostigmaWhite-Marked Tussock Moth
  • Pandemis limitataThree-Lined Leafroller Moth
  • Platynota flavedanaBlack-Shaded Platynota
Show all 14
  • Spodoptera eridaniaSouthern Armyworm Moth
  • Yponomeuta multipunctellaAmerican Ermine Moth, Wahoo Moth
  • Herpetogramma aquilonalis
  • Herpetogramma theseusalis
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
—BeesSoutheastern regional records
—Specialist beesPollen specialists
3BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Euonymus

  • Catharus guttatusHermit Thrush
  • Sialia sialisEastern Bluebird
  • Turdus migratoriusAmerican Robin
Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Celastraceae
Hardiness
Zones 3a–7b
Soil pH
Neutral to alkaline
Flower color
Yellow or green

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope
Also known as

European Spindletree

Conservation status

Virginia rankSNA
Global rankNot available
VA statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source

Sources