spindle tree

noun

any of various shrubs or trees of the genus Euonymus, esp E. europaeus, of Europe and W Asia, typically having red fruits and yielding a hard wood formerly used in making spindles: family Celastraceae

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Examples from the Web for spindle tree

Historical Examples

Opposite leaves of Euonymus, or Spindle-tree, showing the successive pairs crossing each other at right angles.
The Elements of Botany
Asa Gray
However, betwixt the spare branches of the spindle-tree the child had seen the incident.
A Love Episode
Emile Zola

spindle tree

Examples from the Web for spindle tree

Historical Examples

Opposite leaves of Euonymus, or Spindle-tree, showing the successive pairs crossing each other at right angles.

However, betwixt the spare branches of the spindle-tree the child had seen the incident.