A closeup of Common Witch Hazel blooms. Witch Hazel also makes a non-speaking cameo appearance in the film Looney Tunes: Rabbits Run. It's one of the toughest spreading shrubs available, thriving in gravelly stream beds, rocky slopes along streams, and wooded hillsides. After the flower has matured in all species, about eight months after blooming, the fruit of the plant splits open forcefully and ejects the seeds contained within the fruit to distances of up to 30 feet. Witch hazel is easy to grow in a variety of conditions. Toward the end of the growing season, I picked up a witch hazel plant on a mark down sale at a local nursery. Common throughout the eastern U.S. and Canada, witch hazel is a multi-trunked shrub with silvery-gray bark and alternate branching. At Direct Native Plants, we take many precautions to make sure your plants will arrive in the best condition possible. American witch-hazel, common witch-hazel, witch hazel. It is a common, natural astringent ingredient in toner that helps regulate the production of oil in the skin. Here is a home-made recipe you may want to try. It features aromatic, dark green leaves. Check out our common witch hazel selection for the very best in unique or custom, handmade pieces from our shops. Common witch-hazel grows best in partial shade to full sun. common witch hazel hamamelis virginiana. The bark is smooth and gray to gray-brown. American witchhazel is a member of the Witch-hazel family. While witch hazel has a lot of benefits for health and skin, it can also have side-effects, especially when taken with certain antibiotics or if you have an allergy. There are a few common witch hazels worth noting: American witch-hazel (H. virginiana), Chinese witch hazel (H. mollis), and Ozark witch hazel … Witch Hazel was also spotted in a MetLife commercial in 2012. Possible Side Effects of Witch Hazel. Witch hazel is often used in deodorants due to its natural skin-healing and skin-care properties. Here are the top 8 benefits and uses of witch hazel. The leaves are alternate with an unequal, wavy margin and hairy stem. The flowers of common witchhazel have four ribbon-like petals and are quite fragrant. Witch hazel seeds are edible and can be used to treat viral infections from within. She is seen flying around on Beelzebub before getting struck by lightning. Also known as the Ozark Witch Hazel, this eye-catching shrub is native to the midwest, from southern Missouri through northwestern Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma. “Common witch hazel is one of my favorites because it supports pollinators and has unusual yellow flowers.” There are many different witch hazels, all in the Hamamelidaceae plant family. Overview Information Witch hazel is a plant. Witch Hazel makes a cameo appearance in the deleted scene "Pig Head" of the film Who Framed Roger Rabbit. This deciduous shrub prefers moist, well-drained soil. This led to another common name for the plant, snapping hazel. The best plants drop their foliage early in the fall to allow a good flower display. The leaves are 2-6” long, oval, and have a wavy margin. The plant, including the crude leaf and bark, is used in a variety of forms; fluid extracts, poultice, and commonly as witch hazel water. American Witchhazel (Hamamelis virginiana L.)By Larry Stritch. URBANA, Ill. – With a name befitting the season it blooms, common witch hazel is a fall favorite for Midwest gardeners looking to add a small tree with character to their yard. It is mildly picky about soil, preferring a slightly acidic loamy soil and a little temperamental in clay soil. Moderately slow growing. Growing Witch Hazel in the Home Garden. It's an exceptional plant but requires patience as it is a slow grower. The species name virginiana refers to being from Virginia. In winter, bright yellow flowers with very slender petals (resemble yellow spiders) mature. Sometimes reaches 25 feet tall but usually grows 1015 feet high and wide. Both varieties feature pleasant, yet spicy, fragranced blooms that open in January to February for vernals, or October through December in common witch hazel. Native to eastern North America. Common Types of Witch-Hazel Most of the six species in the Hamamelis genus bloom January through March, and only Hamamelis virginiana blooms September through November. It’s informal habit won’t work with modern homes. The common witch hazel (H. virginiana) peaks between mid October and mid November. People sometimes take witch hazel by mouth . Witch hazel toners are easy to incorporate into your daily skin care routine. Yellow flowers form in mid-late autumn as the foliage turns golden yellow. Don’t use Common Witch Hazel in your foundation planting. Witch hazel has anti-inflammatory and astringent properties, so many people use it at home for common complaints, such as acne or varicose veins. Ingredients. It is hardy in zones 3 to 8. In Maine, common witch hazel is often found growing beneath the shade of beech and birch trees, keeping company with beaked filbert (Corylus cornuta) and occasional native honeysuckle (Lonicera canadensis), and surrounded by colonies of maple-leaf viburnum (Viburnum acerifolium). The leaf, bark, and twigs are used to make medicine. Here are some common side effects of witch hazel. Witch hazel is a member of the genus Hamamelis and offers two varieties: vernal (sometimes called Ozark) and common (also called American). Common Witch Hazel, Hamamelis virginiana, is a large shrub with bright yellow, sweetly fragrant, star-shaped petals. Witch Hazel (Hamamelis spp.) Though it's important witch hazel doesn't get too wet, make sure it doesn't dry out during the heat of summer; otherwise it will suffer from leaf scorch. Early March is a … Shipping Information. The fruit, a capsule, bursts open and shoots seeds up to 12 feet away. Common Witch Hazel is a wonderfully fragrant and underused multi-stemmed shrub or small tree. Hamamelis vernalis (Ozark witch hazel) is a 6- to 10-foot shrub hardy in zones 4 to 8. Witch hazel soothes inflamed, irritated and dry skin. The plant was labeled Hamamelis virginiana, the common witch hazel that blooms in late fall in eastern North America.This understory native tree flowers about mid-fall and may continue through December when no other flowers are in the landscape. Open, spreading, rather straggling habit. Blooming in the fall, it creates a spectacular show with its bright yellow flowers on display at the same time … Learn more. Witch-Hazel is a deciduous tree that may grow 15 to 20 feet tall. Witch hazel is widely known for easing inflammation and soothing sensitive skin, but this powerful remedy has more to offer. Red-Copper Winter Blooms + Blazing Fall Foliage Why Common Witch Hazel Shrubs? Where to Plant Common Witch Hazel. The flowers attract bees, the seeds are eaten by birds and … Witch Hazel helps in reducing the skin irritation, acne, inflammation, alleviating the sensitivity of the scalp. is categorized as a small tree or shrub that spans from 5-15 feet wide and up to 20-30 feet tall. Hamamelis virginiana (Common or Virginia Witch Hazel), a North American native, is quite cold-hardy (Zones 3-8) and rich of a sweet and intoxicating fragrance. Pure witch hazel or "witch hazel water" is made by infusing and steam distilling the twigs and bark of this native shrub, producing a liquid with many household purposes beyond simply tightening your skin. Zones US, MS, LS, CS; USDA 6-9. The flowers appear in early October after the beautiful golden-yellow fall foliage has dropped. Witch hazel is a widely known plant with a long history of use in the Americas. Sensitive skin is a very common condition that affects around 30% of the population. Hamamelis virginiana (common witch hazel) is a 15- to 20-foot-tall shrub that flowers with yellow blooms from October to December. A few of the spring-flowering witch hazels can start blooming by the end of December or early January depending upon weather but peak occurs between mid January and mid March. I took this picture on a cold and wet December morning with sleet on the ground from the previous night’s storm. It prefers slightly acidic well-drained to dry soils where it produces stunning autumn flowering and golden foliage displays. 1 tsp high proof vodka; 10 drops geranium Witch hazel is a highly useful edible and medicinal plant, made even better by the fact that it’s readily useful and identifiable throughout the year. The witch hazel tree is a small, deciduous tree or shrub native to the United States and Canada. ... inflamed and irritated skin. It was used internally for bleeding. It is used in skin products like face toner, creams, & more. Check out this list of 10 uses for witch hazel that will change the … Our perennials are grown in a 4” quart-sized pot. You may see a product called witch hazel water (Hamamelis water, distilled witch hazel … The latter, also known as Hamamelis water or distilled witch hazel extract, is obtained from recently cut, partially dormant twigs. Witch hazel is a natural plant extract that is used to treat acne, inflammation and oily skin. Applying witch hazel to the skin is the most common way it is used -- and the safest. Key facts about common witch hazel trees, several cultivars of medium- to slow-growing, mostly upright, open, irregular or vase-shaped, deciduous trees. The genus name Hamamelis is Latin from the Greek meaning a kind of medlar or service tree. It frequents the drier sites, being intolerant of flooding. Bark is the source of the liniment witch hazel. Traditionally, witch hazel was known to native North American people as a treatment for tumors and eye inflammations. Witch hazel water is the most commonly found commercial preparation, usually kept in most homes as a topical cooling agent or astringent.