Hamamelis virginiana - Common Witchhazel

Morphology/Growth Habits: This deciduous shrub can grow very tall and wide. Between October and December, it produces clusters of fragrant yellow flowers with distinct ribbon shaped petals, bringing a beautifully bright fall bloom to your garden. If the flower is fertilized, it will proceed to form fruit throughout Winter and into Spring. Large, oval leaves that also turn a beautiful shade of yellow in the fall. Smooth, gray bark. It can be pruned into a small tree.

Its Latin name Hamamelis comes from hama, meaning ‘at the same time’, and melon meaning ‘fruit’, referring to the fact that this shrub can fruit and flower at the same time!

Height: 15-20 ft

Light: Full Sun to Part Shade

Moisture: Medium

Bloom color: Yellow

Bloom time: Oct-Dec

Habitat/Best Environments: Found along woodland margins and streambanks. Can be easily grown in well-drained soils and does best in full sun. Tolerate clay-heavy soils and is a great option for erosion control. Doesn’t do well with drought. 

Ecological relationships: Flowers attract noctuid moths in the fall. Larval host plant for Witch Hazel Dagger Moth. Deer resistant. *This plant has many medicinal properties, and has historically been used to relieve swelling, bleeding, itching, and skin irritations. 

*Please soil test and do proper research before growing a plant for human consumption.

Fun facts: The name ‘Witch Hazel’ comes from the Old English word ‘wiche’, meaning bendable, referring to the shrub’s flexible branches. ‘Hazel’ refers to its resemblance to the Common Hazelnut tree. It may also come from its branches use as divining rods in water witching, as hazelnut branches also were.