Scientific Name:
Hamamelis virginiana
Pronunciation:
ham-uh-MEE-liss vur-jin-ee-AY-nuh
Common Name:
American witch hazel
Family Name:
Hamamelidaceae
Plant Type:
Shrub - deciduous, Tree - deciduous
Key ID Features:
Leaves alternate, most obovate, 10-15cm long x 6-9cm wide; bases uneven, margins wavy to crenate; flowers with four ribbon-like petals, Oct.-Nov; capsules woody, about 12mm long. Winter ID: persistent fruit; buds felty, flattened, stalked, 4-6mm long, scale like a folded brown leaf; leaf scar half-round to 3-lobed, some with 3 bundle scars visible; flower buds small, round, in tight clusters.
Habit:
Upright
Form:
Vase
Texture:
Medium - coarse
Mature Height:
3 - 5m
Mature Spread:
3 - 4m
Origin:
Canada - eastern, U.S. - northeast
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 3: (-40 to -34 °C)
Exposure:
Full sun, Part sun/part shade
Soil/Growing Medium:
Acidic, Humus rich, Well-drained
Landscape Uses:
Fall interest, Mixed shrub border, Specimen plant, Woodland margin
Additional Info:
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Simple
Arrangement:
Alternate
Texture/Venation:
Soft flexible, Pinnate venation
Surfaces:
Glabrous
Colour in Summer:
Green, Dark-green
Colour in Fall:
Yellow
Shapes:
Elliptic, Obovate
Apices:
Rounded
Bases:
Oblique (uneven)
Margins:
Crenate
Inflorescence Type:
Flowers clustered
Flower Morphology:
Flowers perfect
Number Of Petals:
4
Corolla Shape:
Cruciform
Ovary Position:
Inferior
Colour (petals):
Showy, Yellow
Flower Time at Peak:
Oct, Nov
Fruit Type:
Capsule
Fruit Colour:
Brown
Fruiting Time:
May, Jun
Additional Info:
Fruit insignificant, Persistent,
Bark Morphology:
Prominent lenticels, Lightly fissured
Bark or Stem Colour:
Grey, Brown
Leaf Bud Type:
Stalked
Leaf Scar Shape:
Half-round
Pest Susceptibility:
(Pest resistant, Disease resistant, Deer resistant)
