Wikimedia Commons
Hamamelidaceae
Witch Hazel
Hamamelis × intermedia
Magic, healing, hidden strength, second sight.
- Family
- Hamamelidaceae
- Genus
- Hamamelis
- Native to
- Garden hybrid (parents from China and Japan)
- Bloom season
- Winter
- Type
- Deciduous shrub or small tree
- Height
- 3–6 m
- Sunlight
- Full sun to part shade
- Soil
- Rich, slightly acidic, well-drained
- Water
- Moderate
- Hardiness
- 5–9
- Lifespan
- Long-lived
Did you know
- Witch hazel blooms in the dead of winter — sometimes in January or February — when its long ribbon-like petals unfurl on bare branches even during snow.
- The petals can roll up to protect themselves on the coldest nights and unfurl again when the temperature rises, surviving deep freezes uninjured.
- Witch hazel extract has been used as a medicinal astringent for centuries, distilled from the bark and twigs of native North American Hamamelis virginiana.
- The 'witch' in the name has nothing to do with magic — it comes from the Old English word 'wych' meaning 'pliant' or 'bendable', referring to the flexible branches.
- When the seedpods mature, they explode dramatically and shoot the seeds up to 30 feet (9 m) — a phenomenon botanists call 'ballistic dispersal'.
Color meanings
Yellow
A spell of warmth in winter