European spindletree
General poisoning notes:
European spindletree (Euonymous europaeus) is an ornamental shrub that can grow in the warmer parts of Canada. The shrub has poisoned children as well as goats, horses, and sheep. Children are attracted to the mature fleshy orange fruits, which contain seeds with cardiac glycosides and alkaloids. Children have become quite ill. Fatal poisoning has occurred in two horses after they ingested shoots of this plant (Frohne and Pfander 1983, Cooper and Johnson 1984, Lampe and McCann 1985).
Nomenclature:
Scientific Name: Euonymus europaeus L.
Vernacular name(s): European spindletree
Scientific family name: Celastraceae
Vernacular family name: stafftree.
Euonymus europaeus L.
Geographic Information
Plant or plant parts used in or around the home.
Notes on Poisonous plant parts:
The conspicuous fruiting structures of the European spindletree entice children to eat them. The seeds contain toxins that have caused poisoning of children (Frohne and Pfander 1983).
Toxic parts:
Bark, leaves, seeds
Notes on Toxic plant chemicals:
Several cardiac glycosides have been found in the seeds, including evomonoside, whose aglycone is digitoxigenin. Alkaloids also make up about 0.1% of the seeds, including evonine. The toxicity of the alkaloidal fraction has not been studied. Cardiac glycosides are also found in the leaves and bark (the alkaloid content is too low to be of any consequence) (Frohne and Pfander 1983, Lampe and McCann 1985).
Toxic plant chemicals:
Evomonoside, evonine.
Evomonoside
Animals/Human Poisoning:
Note: When an animal is listed without additional information, the literature (as of 1993) contained no detailed explanation.
Goats
Horses
General symptoms of poisoning:
Constipation, death, heart rate, elevated.
Notes on poisoning:
In one case in Europe, two horses had access to the shoots of European spindletree and they ingested large quantities of them. The animals suffered paralysis of the digestive tract. The pulse was rapid and the horses died within 4 days. Postmortem examination showed inflammation of the intestines (Cooper and Johnson 1984).
Humans
General symptoms of poisoning:
Convulsions, death, diarrhea, hallucination, vomiting.
Notes on poisoning:
Children are attracted to the bright orange fruits, which contain toxic seeds. Symptoms occur 10-12 h after ingestion and include diarrhea, vomiting, stimulation of the heart and, in more severe cases, hallucination and loss of consciousness. In one fatal case, the child had blood-stained diarrhea and convulsions before death (Cooper and Johnson 1984).
