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Hamamelis virginiana
Also called Witch Hazel, American Witchhzel, American Witch Hazel, Common Witchhzel, Snapping Hazelnut, Spotted Alder, Striped Alder
American witch hazel is a small deciduous shrub or tree native to eastern North America, valued for its late autumn to early winter flowers and yellow fall color. It grows well in average garden soil with some shade, and tolerates a range of conditions.
Hamamelis virginiana, known as witch-hazel, common witch-hazel, American witch-hazel and beadwood, is a species of flowering shrub native to eastern North America, from Nova Scotia west to Minnesota, and south to central Florida to eastern Texas.
Hamamelis virginiana flowers from late September to late November, occasionally in December. The pollinated ovary, protected by a persistent calyx, enters a resting state during the winter months. Fertilization of the ovary is delayed until the following spring, usually about the middle of May, which is 5–7 months after pollination. The fruits develop over the course of the growing season, reaching maturity in late August. As the ripe fruit dries and dehisces, the seeds are ballistically ejected, typically by late October. The empty seed pod remains attached to the plant, sometimes for months. The seeds lie on the ground for two winters before sprouting.
Native Americans produced witch hazel extract by boiling the stems of the shrub and producing a decoction, which was used to treat swellings, inflammations, and tumors. Early Puritan settlers in New England adopted this remedy from the natives, and its use became widely established in the United States.
Hamamelis ×intermedia · Chinese witch hazel · Ozark witchhazel · Witch-hazel
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Hamamelis virginiana by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
