Siberian Spindle

The syntype specimen of Euonymus latifolius var. sachalinensis, collected by Przewalski from Gansu, belongs to E. giraldii.

The flowers and fruit of this species are 5-merous, but sometimes only 3 or 4 locules develop, especially in plants from N Japan and Russia (Far East). These character states are sometimes found in the same specimen, making it impossible to separate taxa by the number of wings or locules of the fruit. This species is very similar to Euonymus oxyphyllus in the texture of its leaves, but it can be separated from that species and from E. macropterus by its fruit with very short wings.

Deciduous shrubs, 2-3 m tall; branches and twigs moderately sturdy, striate, brown or gray-brown when dry. Petiole sturdy, less than ca. 1 cm; leaf blade thickly papery or thinly leathery, ovate-elliptic, ovate, or broadly elliptic, 9-15 × 5.5-8.5 cm, widest at mid-blade, base subrotund, cuneate, or attenuate, margin crenulate, apex acuminate or acute; lateral veins 7-9 pairs, branching and disappearing before reaching margin. Peduncle slender, 5-8 cm, 1-3 × dichotomously branched, several flowered; pedicel slender, 5-6 mm. Flowers 5-merous, 7-9 mm in diam.; sepals suborbicular, short; petals reddish to purple or brown, ovate, base cuneate. Ovary weakly angulate, 5-loculed, sometimes only 3 or 4 locules developing. Capsule green to brown, or yellow-brown when dry, nearly globose, ca. 1 cm in diam., with 5 short and obtuse wings, less than ca. 5 mm when fully developed, sometimes only 3 or 4 wings developing. Aril bright red. Fl. Apr-Jul, fr. Aug-Nov.

Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning [Japan, Korea, Russia (Far East)].

Mixed forests, scrub; 100-2700 m.

Euonymus latifolius (Linnaeus) Miller var. sachalinensis F. Schmidt, Reis. Amur-Land., Bot. 121. 1868; E. maximowiczianus (Prokhanov) Voroschilov; Kalonymus maximowiczianus Prokhanov; K. sachalinensis (F. Schmidt) Prokhanov.