Identifying characteristics:
A deciduous, rather slow-growing shrub or small tree growing to 25 feet,
usually with multiple, leaning trunks and a spreading, irregular crown.
The leaves are simple, oval, alternate,
2 to 6 inches long and have asymmetrical bases. Leaf margins are irregularly
wavy or coarsely toothed and the short leaf stalks are hairy when young.
The small but showy yellow flowers
appear along the branches in groups of three during late autumn when most
trees are bare. Each flower contains both sexes and has four narrow, twisted,
ribbon-like petals. Fruits mature
about a year later as woody, yellow-orange, two-beaked capsules which forcibly
eject two shiny, black seeds. Buds are naked, stalked, ovoid-elongate,
covered with dense, yellowish-brown hairs and often have two scale-like
stipules at theier bases. The bark is
thin, smooth to slightly scaly and light brown, often mottled. Young branchlets
are covered with hairs until the end of the growing season.
Similar species:
- springtime witch-hazel (Hamamelis vernalis)
Ecology:
Distribution: Being the most cold-hardy of all the witch-hazels,
this species is native to the eastern US and southeast Canada, south to
central Florida and is found in the northeast and extreme east central parts
of Iowa.
Habitat: Preferring moist, shaded sites, it is a dominant understory tree in some places in Iowa, also growing along streams and forest edges. Although tolerant of a range of soil types, H. virginiana prefers deep, rich soils. No major diseases are reported.
Uses:
Wood: The wood is hard and heavy, but witch-hazels are too
small for lumber use. Water diviners have used branches for "water-witching."
The oil from the leaves, twigs and bark is used in liniments, some patent
medicines and as an astringent in skin lotions and eye-washes.
Wildlife: The wildlife value is rather low, although the woody seeds are eaten by ruffed grouse and squirrels in winter, and white-tailed deer eat the young branchlets and leaves.
Horticulture: Witch-hazels are occasionally planted as ornamentals in Iowa. The coarse, irregular branching creates winter interest in the landscape and the flowers are an attraction in the fall, especially when combined with purple and red fall-colored shrubs.
