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Evergreen spindle

Euonymus japonicus, Celastraceae

Sources last read 14 September 2026.

Not yet rated How forgiving it is has not been judged here yet.

Also called Box-Leaf Euonymus, Dwarf Japanese Euonymus, Evergreen Euonymus, Japanese Euonymus, Japanese spindle tree, Japanese spindletree and Spindle Tree.

Evergreen spindle (Euonymus japonicus), the whole plant.
Javier martin, Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Evergreen spindle is toxic

  • Not assessed for cats. This plant is not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.
  • Not assessed for dogs. This plant is not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.
  • Toxic to people. Listed as harmful to people; the details of the harm could not be read from the source. RHS

What the sources say about its care

Light
Full sun, Partial shade
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Water
Moist but well-drained or Well-drained
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Humidity

No source read publishes a humidity figure for any plant on this site. What follows is general guidance for foliage plants.

ASHRAE recommends indoor relative humidity between 30% and 60% 30–60%
Penn State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Temperature

How cold this tolerates, not what it prefers. No source read for this site publishes a preferred range for a plant indoors.

H5 — -15 to -10°C -15 to -10 °C
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Soil
Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand; pH Acid or Alkaline or Neutral
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Toxic to cats
Not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety.
ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
Toxic to dogs
Not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety.
ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
Harmful to people
Listed as harmful to people; the details of the harm could not be read from the source.
RHS · read 13 September 2026

Routine care

Propagation
Use seed or stem cuttings to propagate.
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Take semi-ripe cuttings in summer.
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Pruning
It tolerates black walnut, drought and moderate salt spray, and copes with hard pruning.
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Pests and diseases
Caterpillars, euonymus scale, horse chestnut scale and vine weevil can attack it. Disease risks: a leaf spot, powdery mildews and occasionally honey fungus.
RHS · read 13 September 2026

Move something and watch

Loading the simulator. It needs JavaScript; the care table above does not.

Close view of Evergreen spindle (Euonymus japonicus) foliage.
Close upSun Jiao (Interaccoonale), CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

About the plant

Euonymus japonicus is a species of flowering plant in the family Celastraceae, native to Japan and Korea.

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · read 13 September 2026

Native range
Korea, Japan to Nansei-shotō
World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.
Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
Korea, Japan to Nansei-shoto
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
China, Japan, Korea
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Climate
subtropical
World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.
Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
Growth form
shrub or tree
World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.
Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
Shrub; habit dense, erect, mounding, oval, vase
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Bushy (evergreen)
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Size
Height 120–180 in; width 60–96 in
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Height 2.5-4 metres; spread 1.5-2.5 metres after 5–10 years
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Flowering
Flowers green, red/burgundy, white; blooms in spring, summer
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Flowers white in summer
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Uses

What sources record people using this plant for. A traditional or medicinal use listed here is a record of use, not advice to eat it or treat anything with it.

Toxic when eaten in large amounts.
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026

Plants with similar care

Sources

What this does not cover

The figures above are what published sources say, not measurements of the plant in your room. They say nothing about your pot size, your water, the season, or how far from the glass the plant stands, and those decide more than any figure here does.

Humidity has no species figure because no source read for this site publishes one, and the only temperature published for this plant is a cold floor. The simulator fills those gaps with general figures for its kind of plant, marked as general and listed on how we read sources. Where a toxicity row says the plant was not assessed, that is the absence of a finding and not a finding of safety.

If something is already wrong, the diagnosis tool asks about the soil, the window and the watering, which is where the answer usually is.