Witch-hazel
Hamamelis virginiana
Click or tap the section titles below to learn more about this species!
CLASSIFICATION: What’s in a name?
Scientific Name: Hamamelis virginiana. The genus Hamamelis comes from Greek and means “fruit at the same time” referring to the fact that the seed capsules take a year to develop, with last year’s capsules ripening at the same time the current years’ flowers bloom.9 The epithet virginiana refers to Virginia!
Common Name: Witch-hazel. The common name comes from the Old English wice meaning to bend, referring to this species’ (and other similar shrubs) flexible branches.
Family: Hamamelidaceae (Witch-hazel family). This is a relatively small plant family of around 100 species worldwide. North America is home to two genera, Hamamelis and Fothergilla, both of which can be frequently encountered in horticulture.
IDENTIFICATION: What does it look like?
Average Height: 10-20 feet
Description: A large shrub of the forest understory. Leaves are arranged alternately on the branches and are wide and oval, with strong parallel veins and large, blunt teeth. The bark is smooth and light silvery gray, dotted with lenticels (breathing pores). The flowers are quite strange, with many pale yellow, thin straplike petals giving a spidery appearance. They mature into a hard woody capsule which ripens one year after flowering.
Bloom time: Oct – Dec8
Notes: This shrub is very unusual in that it flowers in the fall to early winter and the fruit take one year to ripen, meaning that flowers and ripe fruit can be found at the same time! The seed dispersal is very remarkable. When the capsules are ripe, they release stored kinetic energy, shooting the seeds at up to 20 miles per hour!4
LOCATION: Where is it at home?
Range: Found statewide, but most common in the mountains and Piedmont.7 The North American range is quite large, from Florida west to Texas and north into Canada.1
Geology/Soil: Found in soils weathered from a wide variety of rock types. Often found in clayey or loamy, often rocky soils, but not restricted to them.
Habitat: Understories of oak-hickory forests, dry oak-heath forests, rich slope forests, rocky woodlands, bluffs, cliffs, and streambanks.5,7
CONNECTIONS: What are its relationships to other plants, animals, and humans?
Flora associations: Found with a large array of plant species across its huge native range. Common associates include white oak (Quercus alba), northern red oak (Quercus rubra), beech (Fagus grandifolia), marginal wood fern (Dryopteris marginalis), deerberry (Vaccinium stamineum), Solomon’s-seal (Polygonatum biflorum), and star chickweed (Stellaria pubera), along with many others.
Fauna associations: The flowers of witch-hazel are pollinated by a wide variety of insects, especially flies. The foliage serves as a larval host for many moth species, including the witch-hazel dagger moth (Acronicta hamamelis), unicorn caterpillar (Schizaria unicornis), figure-seven moth (Drasturia grandirena) and Drexel’s datana (Datana drexelii).3 In addition, witch-hazel is an important species in providing cover and nesting habitat for forest birds such as the worm-eating warbler (Helmitheros vermivorum) and wood thrush (Hylochichla musteloides).
Human associations: Over time, people have found a variety of medicinal and other uses for Hamamelis virginiana. The Haudenosaunee use this plant for a wide variety of ailments, including colds, sores, fever, diarrhea, and toothache.2 The branches have long been used in dowsing or “witching”, where a forked branch is used to locate groundwater.6
We want these plants to thrive and for everyone who gets to visit the park to enjoy them, so remember – don’t pick flowers or other parts of the plant!!
Bibliography & Definitions
1 “2013 BONAP North American Plant Atlas. TaxonMaps.” Bonap.net, bonap.net/Napa/TaxonMaps/Genus/County/Hamamelis. Accessed 28 May 2024.
2 “BRIT – Native American Ethnobotany Database.” Naeb.brit.org, naeb.brit.org/uses/search/?string=hamamelis. Accessed 28 May 2024.
3 Hilty, John. “Witch-Hazel (Hamamelis Virginiana).” Www.illinoiswildflowers.info, www.illinoiswildflowers.info/trees/plants/witch_hazel.htm.
4 Jorge, Justin F, and S N Patek. “Elastic Pinch Biomechanisms Can Yield Consistent Launch Speeds regardless of Projectile Mass.” Journal of the Royal Society Interface, vol. 20, no. 205, 1 Aug. 2023, https://doi.org/10.1098/rsif.2023.0234.
5 LeGrand, Harry. “Vascular Plants of North Carolina.” Ncparks.gov, 2019, auth1.dpr.ncparks.gov/flora/species_account.php.
6 “The Wonders of Witch Hazel.” Www.haverford.edu, 4 Feb. 2020, www.haverford.edu/arboretum/blog/wonders-witch-hazel#:~:text=They%20would%20observe%20if%20the.
7 Virginia Botanical Associates. “Digital Atlas of the Virginia Flora | Hamamelis Virginiana L. Var. Virginiana.” Www.vaplantatlas.org, www.vaplantatlas.org/index.php?do=plant&plant=2825&search=Search. Accessed 28 May 2024.
8 Weakley, Alan S, et al. Flora of Virginia. Fort Worth, Tex Botanical Research Institute Of Texas Press, 2013.
9 “Witch Hazel : Indigenous Peoples’ Perspective Project : Programs | Events : Adkins Arboretum.” Www.adkinsarboretum.org, www.adkinsarboretum.org/programs_events/ipp/witch-hazel.html#:~:text=Etymology%3A%20Hamamelis%20comes%20from%20the. Accessed 28 May 2024.