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Witch Hazel
Hamamelis vernalis 'Amethyst'
In March of 2025 the Friends of Matthias Baldwin Park purchased and planted four new species of trees in Baldwin Park. One witch hazel was planted in the western section. This shrub-like tree is a great antidote to winter as it flowers in February or early March. See Wikipedia entry here.
Three-foot tall witch hazel after planting in March 2025
Witch hazel factoids:
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deciduous shrub with mature height of 8-12 feet​
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our species of witch hazel is native to the Ozark region of Missouri and Arkansas
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the flowers are deep red with four ribbon-shaped petals and four short stamens, and grow in clusters. Flowering begins in mid winter and continues until early spring.
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the genus epithet Hamamelis means "together with fruit" to point out the appearance of flowers at the same time that last season's fruit is still on the tree. The Latin specific epithet vernalis means "spring-flowering."​
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the common name witch hazel is derived from the old English word wice meaning pliant, for the bendable branches. It is not related to those broom-riding wart-nosed witches. Another common name for the witch hazel is winterbloom.
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the witch hazel is in the same family, the Hamamelidaceae, as the Persian ironwood tree directly across the path from it. The flowers are similar but the Persian ironwood flower has four sepals and no petals. Both bloom in late winter.
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witch hazels are not closely related to our contorted hazel nut shrub. These two are not even in the same taxonomic order. When mature both of these plants will be about eight feet tall and eight feet in spread, giving a spherical appearance.
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a steam distillation extract of the witch hazel is widely sold as an astringent and skin toner (for external use only)
There are only four petals per flower but the clustering of flowers gives a spidery appearance.
Close up of a complete flower from Hamamelis virginiana, an east coast species related to our witch hazel.
From outer to inner: the curved-back sepals; the long ribbon-like petals; the four squat stamens where pollen is made (male part) that alternate in location with the petals; and the two sticky stigmata (female part) where the pollen grain lands and fertilizes the ovule. Having two stigmata means that there are two ovules in the ovary and that the fruit will contain two seeds. The pollen lands on the stigma but the ovule is not fertilized until the following season, i.e. there is pollination with delayed fertilization.
Idealized flower with the structures labeled.
Botany 101 Bonus
Winter Pollination
If our witch hazel flowers in winter, how are they pollinated?
The simplest answer would be that it is wind pollinated, i.e. the wind blows pollen from one witch hazel's anther to another's stigma. But if so, why does the witch hazel flower have all the equipment necessary to lure insects: bright colors, sweet nectar, and enticing fragrance. There are cold-hardy moths that may be involved, as well as gnats and bees when there are warm days. The seed set rate is low, however, meaning that many ovules fail to develop into seeds, possibly due to the low success with insect pollination.
Plant Essential Oils
If you open the spice drawer in your kitchen, you will probably find at least some plant essential oils. These oils are "essential" in the sense that their odor captures the essence of the plant's odor. Oils dissolve in alcohol but not in water, and that is why one ingredient for those plant extracts in your drawer is always going to be alcohol.
Witch hazel has been used by for millennia as a treatment for skin irritations like insect bites and poison ivy. Modern witch hazel preparations usually use a process called steam distillation to extract the oils and alcohol from its leaves, bark and twigs. A 16-ounce bottle of this preparation costs only about five dollars and will last a long time if applied with cotton balls. You can also buy items like hemorrhoid pads that are pre-soaked with diluted witch hazel extract.
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