Hamamelis virginiana, known as witch-hazel, common witch-hazel, American witch-hazel and beadwood,[1] is a species of flowering shrub native to eastern
North America, from
Nova Scotia west to
Minnesota, and south to central
Florida to eastern
Texas.[2]
Description
Hamamelis virginiana is a small,
deciduoustree or shrub growing up to 6 m (rarely to 10 m) tall, often with a dense cluster of stems from its base. The
bark is light brown, smooth, scaly, inner bark reddish purple. The
branchlets are
pubescent at first, later smooth, light orange brown, marked with occasional white dots, finally dark or reddish brown. The foliage buds are acute, slightly
falcate, downy, light brown. The
leaves are oval, 3.7–16.7 cm (1+7⁄16–6+9⁄16 in) long and 2.5–13 cm (1–5+1⁄8 in) broad, oblique at the base, acute or rounded at the apex, with a wavy-toothed or shallowly lobed margin, and a short, stout
petiole 6–15 mm (0.24–0.59 in) long; the
midrib is more or less hairy, stout, with six to seven pairs of primary veins. The young leaves open
involute, covered with stellate rusty down; when full grown, they are dark green above, and paler beneath. In fall, they turn yellow with rusty spots. The leaf
stipules are
lanceolate, acute; they fall soon after the leaf expands.
The
flowers are pale to bright yellow, rarely orange or reddish, with four ribbon-shaped
petals 1–2 cm (1⁄2–3⁄4 in) long and four short stamens, and grow in clusters; flowering begins in about mid-fall and continues until late fall. The floral calyx is
imbricate in bud, deeply four-parted, very downy, and orange brown within. Two or three bractlets appear at base. The
fruit is a hard woody
capsule 10–14 mm (0.39–0.55 in) long, which splits explosively at the apex at maturity one year after pollination, ejecting the two shiny black
seeds up to 10 m (33 ft) distant from the parent plant.[2][3][4][5]
Hamamelis virginiana can be distinguished from the related Hamamelis vernalis by its flowering in fall, not winter.[2][6]
Ecology
Hamamelis virginiana flowers from late September to late November, occasionally in December.[2][7] The
pollinatedovary, protected by a
persistentcalyx, enters a resting state during the winter months.
Fertilization of the ovary is delayed until the following spring, usually about the middle of May, which is 5–7 months after pollination.[8] The
fruits develop over the course of the growing season, reaching maturity in late August.[9] As the ripe fruit dries and
dehisces, the seeds are
ballistically ejected, typically by late October.[citation needed] The empty seed pod remains attached to the plant,[10] sometimes for months. The seeds lie on the ground for two winters before sprouting.[11]
Hamamelis virginiana is a pollinator plant that attracts moths and supports 62 species of caterpillars.[12][13]
Flowers and flower buds in September
A lone flower in December, alongside empty seed pods from last year
Fruits in May 2016. These are last-year's fruits, that is, the fruits of flowers that bloomed during the fall of 2015.
Last-year's fruits in July 2021. The empty seed pod is persistent from the fruit of a flower that bloomed during the fall of 2019.
This-year's flower buds (below) and last-year's fruit (above) in August
This-year's flowers and flower buds, and last-year's fruit in October
Uses
Native Americans produced witch hazel extract by boiling the stems of the shrub and producing a
decoction, which was used to treat swellings,
inflammations, and tumors.[14] Early
Puritan settlers in
New England adopted this remedy from the natives, and its use became widely established in the United States.[15]
An extract of the plant is used in the astringent
witch hazel.
H. virginiana produces a specific kind of
tannins called hamamelitannins. One of those substances displays a specific cytotoxic activity against
colon cancer cells.[16]
The bark and leaves were used by Native Americans in the treatment of external inflammations. Pond's Extract was a popular distillation of the bark in dilute alcohol.
The wood is light reddish brown, sapwood nearly white; heavy, hard, close-grained, with a density of 0.68.[5]
The forked twigs of witch-hazel are preferred as
divining rods.
References
^"beadwood". Dictionary of American Regional English. Retrieved 2023-04-13.
^Sánchez-Tena, Susana; Fernández-Cachón, María L.; Carreras, Anna; Mateos-Martín, M. Luisa; Costoya, Noelia; Moyer, Mary P.; Nuñez, María J.; Torres, Josep L.; Cascante, Marta (January 4, 2012). "Hamamelitannin from Witch Hazel (Hamamelis virginiana) Displays Specific Cytotoxic Activity against Colon Cancer Cells". J. Nat. Prod. 75 (1): 26–33.
doi:
10.1021/np200426k.
PMID22216935.
Bibliography
Anderson, Gregory J.; Hill, James D. (2002). "Many to flower, few to fruit: the reproductive biology of Hamamelis virginiana (Hamamelidaceae)". American Journal of Botany. 89 (1): 67–78.
doi:
10.3732/ajb.89.1.67.
PMID21669713.