Hamamelis virginiana

Last updated

Hamamelis virginiana
Hamamelis virginiana FlowersLeaves BotGardBln0906.JPG
Leaves and flowers in September
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Saxifragales
Family: Hamamelidaceae
Genus: Hamamelis
Species:
H. virginiana
Binomial name
Hamamelis virginiana
L.
Hamamelis virginiana map.png
Distribution of witch-hazel

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]

Contents

Description

Winter twig, showing elongate brown-pubescent terminal bud and persistent calyces Hamamelis virginiana.jpg
Winter twig, showing elongate brown-pubescent terminal bud and persistent calyces

Hamamelis virginiana is a small, deciduous tree or shrub growing up to 6 metres (20 ft), rarely to 10 m (33 ft) 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+1⁄2–6+5⁄8 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

Empty seed pods in May, at least six months after seed dispersal Hamamelis virginiana Vermont USA 2022-05-13.jpg
Empty seed pods in May, at least six months after seed dispersal

Hamamelis virginiana flowers from late September to late November, occasionally in December. [2] [7] The pollinated ovary, protected by a persistent calyx , 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]

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.

Related Research Articles

<i>Quercus velutina</i> Species of oak tree

Quercus velutina, the black oak, is a species of oak in the red oak group, native and widespread in eastern and central North America. It is sometimes called the eastern black oak.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Witch-hazel</span> Genus of plants

Witch-hazels or witch hazels (Hamamelis) are a genus of flowering plants in the family Hamamelidaceae, with three species in North America, and one each in Japan (H. japonica) and China (H. mollis). The North American species are occasionally called winterbloom.

<i>Diospyros virginiana</i> Species of tree

Diospyros virginiana is a persimmon species commonly called the American persimmon, common persimmon, eastern persimmon, simmon, possumwood, possum apples, or sugar plum. It ranges from southern Connecticut to Florida, and west to Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Iowa. The tree grows in the wild but has been cultivated for its fruit and wood since prehistoric times by Native Americans.

<i>Cornus canadensis</i> Species of flowering plant

Cornus canadensis is a species of flowering plant in the dogwood family Cornaceae, native to eastern Asia and North America. Common names include Canadian dwarf cornel, Canadian bunchberry, quatre-temps, crackerberry, and creeping dogwood. Unlike its relatives, which are for the most part substantial trees and shrubs, C. canadensis is a creeping, rhizomatous perennial growing to about 20 centimetres tall.

<i>Clintonia borealis</i> Species of flowering plant

Clintonia borealis is a species of flowering plant in the lily family Liliaceae. The specific epithet borealis means "of the north," which alludes to the fact that the species tends to thrive in the boreal forests of eastern Canada and northeastern United States.

<i>Cornus racemosa</i> Species of tree

Cornus racemosa, the northern swamp dogwood, gray dogwood, or panicle dogwood, is a shrubby plant native to southeastern Canada and the northeastern United States. It is a member of the dogwood genus Cornus and the family Cornaceae.

<i>Quercus imbricaria</i> Species of oak tree

Quercus imbricaria, the shingle oak, is a deciduous tree in the red oak group of oaks. It is native primarily to the Midwestern and Upper South regions of North America.

<i>Calycanthus floridus</i> Species of flowering plant

Calycanthus floridus, or commonly known as the eastern sweetshrub, Carolina all spice, or spicebush, is a species of flowering shrub in the family Calycanthaceae. It is identifiable by its dark red flowers and fragrant scent. It is non-invasive and is found in the Southeastern United States region. The Nature Conservancy considers its conservation status to be G5, globally secure, indicating it is at low risk of extinction. It is presumed to have been extirpated from Ohio.

<i>Ostrya virginiana</i> Species of tree

Ostrya virginiana, the American hophornbeam, is a species of Ostrya native to eastern North America, from Nova Scotia west to southern Manitoba and eastern Wyoming, southeast to northern Florida and southwest to eastern Texas. Populations from Mexico and Central America are also regarded as the same species, although some authors prefer to separate them as a distinct species, Ostrya guatemalensis. Other names include eastern hophornbeam, hardhack, ironwood, and leverwood.

<i>Persicaria virginiana</i> Species of flowering plant in the knotweed family Polygonaceae

Persicaria virginiana, also called jumpseed, Virginia knotweed or woodland knotweed is a North American species of smartweed within the buckwheat family. It is unusual as a shade-tolerant member of a mostly sun-loving genus. Jumpseed is a perennial, named for its seeds which can "jump" several feet when a ripe seedpod is disturbed.

<i>Hamamelis vernalis</i> Species of tree

Hamamelis vernalis, the Ozark witchhazel is a species of flowering plant in the witch-hazel family Hamamelidaceae, native to the Ozark Plateau in central North America, in Missouri, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. It is a large deciduous shrub growing to 4 m (13 ft) tall.

<i>Hamamelis mollis</i> Species of tree

Hamamelis mollis, also known as Chinese witch hazel, is a species of flowering plant in the witch hazel family Hamamelidaceae, native to central and eastern China, in Anhui, Guangxi, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Sichuan, and Zhejiang.

<i>Vaccinium cespitosum</i> Berry and plant

Vaccinium cespitosum, known as the dwarf bilberry, dwarf blueberry, or dwarf huckleberry, is a species of flowering shrub in the genus Vaccinium, which includes blueberries, huckleberries, and cranberries.

<i>Corylus americana</i> Species of flowering plant

Corylus americana, the American hazelnut or American hazel, is a species of deciduous shrub in the genus Corylus, native to the eastern and central United States and extreme southern parts of eastern and central Canada.

<i>Ribes aureum</i> Species of plant

Ribes aureum, known by the common names golden currant, clove currant, pruterberry and buffalo currant, is a species of flowering plant in the genus Ribes native to North America.

<i>Solidago nemoralis</i> Species of plant

Solidago nemoralis is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It is native to North America, where it is widely found in Canada and the United States. Its common names include gray goldenrod, gray-stem goldenrod, old-field goldenrod, field goldenrod, prairie goldenrod, dwarf goldenrod, and dyersweed goldenrod.

<i>Vaccinium pallidum</i> Berry and plant

Vaccinium pallidum is a species of flowering plant in the heath family known by the common names hillside blueberry, Blue Ridge blueberry, late lowbush blueberry, and early lowbush blueberry. It is native to central Canada (Ontario) and the central and eastern United States plus the Ozarks of Missouri, Arkansas, southeastern Kansas and eastern Oklahoma.

<i>Hypericum myrtifolium</i> Species of flowering plant

Hypericum myrtifolium, the myrtleleaf St. Johnswort, is a species of flowering plant in the St. John's wort family, Hypericaceae. It is endemic to the Southeastern United States. It was first described by Jean-Baptiste Lamarck in 1797.

<i>Symphyotrichum undulatum</i> Species of flowering plant in family Asteraceae

Symphyotrichum undulatum is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae native to eastern North America. Its common name is wavyleaf aster, and it is a perennial, herbaceous plant that flowers August through October and may reach heights between 30 and 160 centimeters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Persistence (botany)</span> Retention of plant organs that normally are shed

Persistence is the retention of plant organs, such as flowers, seeds, or leaves, after their normal function has been completed, in contrast with the shedding of deciduous organs after their purpose has been fulfilled. Absence or presence of persistent plant organs can be a helpful clue in plant identification, and may be one of many types of anatomical details noted in the species descriptions or dichotomous keys of plant identification guides. Many species of woody plants with persistent fruit provide an important food source for birds and other wildlife in winter.

References

  1. ↑ "beadwood". Dictionary of American Regional English. Retrieved 2023-04-13.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Meyer, Frederick G. (1997). "Hamamelis virginiana". In Flora of North America Editorial Committee (ed.). Flora of North America North of Mexico (FNA). Vol. 3. New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press – via eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
  3. ↑ Meyer, Frederick G. (1997). "Hamamelis". In Flora of North America Editorial Committee (ed.). Flora of North America North of Mexico (FNA). Vol. 3. New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press – via eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
  4. ↑ Tenaglia, Dan. "Hamamelis virginiana page". Missouri Plants. Missouri Botanical Garden.
  5. 1 2 Keeler, H.L. (1900). Our Native Trees and How to Identify Them. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. pp.  157–160.
  6. ↑ Meyer, Frederick G. (1997). "Hamamelis vernalis". In Flora of North America Editorial Committee (ed.). Flora of North America North of Mexico (FNA). Vol. 3. New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press – via eFloras.org, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.
  7. ↑ Anderson & Hill (2002), p. 67.
  8. ↑ Shoemaker (1905), pp. 258, 264.
  9. ↑ Anderson & Hill (2002), p. 68.
  10. ↑ Guertin, P.; Barnett, L.; Denny, E.G.; Schaffer, S.N. (2017). "Phenophase Primer for Plants (Draft Version)" (PDF). USA National Phenology Network. p. 78. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
  11. ↑ Shoemaker (1905), p. 260.
  12. ↑ Darke, Rick; Tallamy, Doug (2014). The Living Landscape: Designing for beauty and biodiversity in the home garden. London, Portland: Timber Press.
  13. ↑ Pollinator Partnership and NAPPC. "Selecting Plants for Pollinators: Laurentian Mixed Forest Province" (PDF). Pollinator Partnership.
  14. ↑ Dweck, Anthony C. "Ethnobotanical Use of Plants, Part 4: The American Continent" (PDF).
  15. ↑ Bingham, Michael C. (20 October 1997). "Which Witch Is Witch Hazel (and Which Dickinson Makes It)?". Connecticut Business Journal. Archived from the original on 2 August 2009. Retrieved 27 December 2012.
  16. ↑ 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. PMID   22216935.

Bibliography

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.