Hamamelis virginiana
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Witch-hazel
Hamamelidaceae
Plant Specifics
| Form: | Shrub | |
| Size: | 10-15 ft tall by 10-15 ft wide | |
| Life Span: | Long-lived perennial | |
| Flower Color: | Yellow | |
| Fruit Color: | Brown | |
| Phenology: | Deciduous, blooms in fall, fruits ripen in summer. | |
| Noted for: | Showy flowers |
Landscaping
| Recommended Uses: | Specimen or background plant. It is unusual in that it blooms in the fall. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Propagation: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Availability: | Native nurseries, FNPS plant sales, Seed | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Light: | Part Shade, Shade | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Moisture Tolerance: |
always floodedextremely dry |
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| (Usually moist, occasional inundation ----- to ----- Not wet but not extremely dry) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Moisture Tolerance: | Usually moist, occasional inundation ----- to ----- Not wet but not extremely dry | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Salt Water Flooding Tolerance: | Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Salt Spray/ Salty Soil Tolerance: | Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Soil or other substrate: | Loam, Sand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Soil pH: | Slightly acidic to neutral | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ecology
| Wildlife: |
The fruit is eaten by bobwhite, white-tailed deer, rabbit and beaver | |
| Insects: | Pollinated by moths that are active on cooler nights consistent with the season of flower for witch hazel. | |
| Native Habitats: | Dry mesic deciduous forests, bluffs, hammocks, sinks, floodplains, creek swamps. |
Distribution and Planting Zones
Natural Range in Florida
USDA Zones
Suitable to grow in:
8A 8B 9A 9B
USDA zones are based on minimum winter temperatures
Comments
| Ethnobotany: | The bark and leaves have been used to produce astringent extracts that have been used variously as topical medications. The forked twigs of witch hazel are preferred as divining rods. An extract of the plant is used in the astringent witch hazel. The bark and leaves were used by native Americans in the treatment of external inflammations. |