Witch Hazel

Hamamelis virginiana

Size: 3 Gallon Availability

Shrub
Max size: 15’ tall x 15’ wide
Average size: 10′ x 10′

Usually Moist, Moist to Dry
Loam, Sand
Part Shade, Shade
No Salt Tolerance

This large, deciduous shrub has an orange or yellow fall color. It blooms in the fall with bright yellow flowers, and later will have inedible fruits. The fruit is eaten by deer, reabbits, and beavers. It is pollinated by moths that are active on cooler nights. If you need to prune the suckers or for shape, do so in fall, right after its flowering season is over.

Despite the fruit being inedible, the seeds are edible. It has varied medicinal uses: treats fevers, colds, sore throat, tuberculosis, dysentery, cholera, asthma, consuption, and more. Modern cosmetics and medicines are still made using witch hazel; some uses include a wash applied after tattooing to aid healing, lotions and salves made from the leaves, twigs, and bark, and as an addition to lip balms