Louisiana Plant ID | Hamamelis virginiana (witch-hazel)

FAMILY: HAMAMELIDACEAE

ALTERNATE COMMON NAME:

LEAVES: alternate, simple, deciduous, obovate and asymmetrical; wavy to crenate margins; 2 to 5 inches; often on spur shoots

FLOWER: bright yellow; thread-like petals, twisted; October to January

FRUIT: capsule, woody, 1/2 inch, two beaked, persistent

TWIGS: zigzag, reddish to orange; buds 1/2 inch, hairy

BARK: brown; smooth when young, scaly when old

FORM: shrub to small tree; < 25 ft; flattened, irregular, spreading crown

HABITAT: streams and swamp margins; understory; moist; upland mixed hardwoods

WETLAND DESIGNATION: Facultative Upland (FACU): Usually occurs in non-wetlands, but may occur in wetlands of the Atlantic and Gulf Coast Plain Region

RANGE: eastern US

USES: erosion control; wildlife cover; extract used as an astringent; best branches for water-divining

Best Recognition Features:

winter, yellow flowers
wavy leaf margins; unequal bases
persistent capsules
spreading crown form

School of Renewable Natural Reources	Louisiana Plant Identification and Interactive Virtual Tours Dr. Chris S. Reid, Project Director \| creid4@lsu.edu LSU School of Renewable Natural Resources LSU AgCenter, Baton Rouge, LA © 2003-2020 website problems or broken links: mbowen@agcenter.lsu.edu page revised: 15-Jan-2020 4:11 PM msb	LSU AgCenter
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