Witch-Hazel

Nov 1

Written By Wheeler Wildlife Refuge Association

Hamamelis virginiana American Witch-Hazel

A uniquely fall-blooming, large native shrub (or small tree) with each fragrant flower composed of just four, thin, strap-like, wavy petals. Pollinated flowers become, one year later, globular capsules containing two, glossy black seeds. When ready, the capsules forcibly eject these two 1/8”x1/4” projectiles up to 30’ away(!), with the only sound created as each strikes adjacent tree trunks and/or causes the surrounding leaf litter to “twitch” in response. Imagine walking in the woods by yourself, clearly hearing these sounds around you but not seeing any reason for what you’ve just heard. You, too, might speculate these plants were “be-witched”.

Some individuals flower with leaves still present; others with their leaves partially off; and some when their leaves are completely gone. Often a combination of all these stages is present at any one moment in time and the exact sequence/combination often varies with every individual, year to year. Native Americans reportedly applied mashed-up leaves as a poultice for sores and ulcers. A distillation of the bark is the basis for the astringent, Witch-hazel, still manufactured today.

Genus name comes from the Greek words hama, meaning at same time, and melon, meaning apple or fruit in reference to the occurrence of both fruit and flowers at the same time. Pollinated by moths, supports some 62 species of caterpillars, forked branches long preferred as the best wood for divining rods.