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Chinese Witch Hazel Wikimedia Commons
Hamamelidaceae

Chinese Witch Hazel

Hamamelis mollis

Mystical protection.

Family
Hamamelidaceae
Genus
Hamamelis
Native to
Central China
Bloom season
Winter
Type
shrub
Height
8-15 ft
Sunlight
full sun to part shade
Soil
moist, acidic, well-drained soil
Water
moderate
Hardiness
5-8
Lifespan
perennial

Did you know

  • Chinese witch hazel blooms in the dead of winter, with fragrant, spidery flowers appearing on bare branches even in snow.
  • The name 'witch hazel' likely derives from the Old English 'wych,' meaning pliable, not from anything related to witchcraft.
  • The seed capsules explosively eject seeds up to 30 feet away from the parent plant when ripe.
  • Ernest Henry Wilson collected the first specimens for Western cultivation during his plant-hunting expeditions to China around 1907.
  • The ribbon-like petals can curl inward during extreme cold to protect themselves, then unfurl again when temperatures rise.

Color meanings

0

enchantment

1

hope in darkness

Uses

  • winter garden focal point
  • fragrant hedgerow