Hamamelis virginiana, the Virginian Witch Hazel is a small deciduous tree or shrub from the North America, usually about 4-5 m tall x 2.5 m wide, with dense, multi-stemmed growth. It has light brown, smooth to scaly bark and reddish-purple inner bark.
It blooms late summer to late autumn with yellow, sweetly scented, ribbon-like flowers in clusters. Leaves turn yellow in autumn.
- Flowers: fragrant yellow ribbon-like in clusters, late summer to late autumn
- Size: about 4-5 m tall x 2.5 m wide
- Horticultural uses: garden shrub, small feature tree, fragrant cut flower
- Cultural uses: Native Americans used boiled stems to treat inflammation and tumours, a practice adopted by early settlers. Witch hazel extract, still used as an astringent, comes from this plant. It contains hamamelitannins, some of which show activity against colon cancer cells. The bark and leaves were also used for external treatments. The wood is hard, reddish brown, and traditionally used for divining rods.
