Habitat

• native to central China
• zone 5

Habit and Form

• a deciduous, large shrub or small tree
• 10' to 15' tall and wide
• multi-stemmed
• upright oval outline in youth
• more rounded and spreading with age

Summer Foliage

• alternate, simple leaves
• 3" to 6" long; somewhat rounded
• acuminate tip
• leaves are a downy, gray-green
• high quality

Autumn Foliage

• yellow to yellow orange
• can be very showy

Flowers

• four, long, narrow petals; spider-like
• opens in March
• flowers open and close depending on weather conditions
• yellow and fragrant
• long lasting
• very showy for late winter

Fruit

• a capsule
• not of major ornamental importance

Bark

• smooth gray to gray brown

Culture

• full sun to partial shade
• moist fertile acidic soil
• protect from harshness of winter due to lack of extreme cold hardiness

Landscape Use

• specimen
• border
• for late winter bloom
• for fall color of foliage

Liabilities

• the least hardy of the commonly-grown witchhazels
• relatively problem free

ID Features

• naked buds
• very pubescent twigs, buds, leaves
• large, showy, yellow late winter flowers
• flower buds present in fall and early winter

Propagation

• by cuttings
• by seed

Cultivars/Varieties

'Brevipetala' - Of questionable ancestry, this plant is perhaps a hybrid. It features yellow blooms with a reddish base that are abundant and somewhat fragrant. While popular, some observers cite its retention of old, dead leaves as a negative aspect.

'Coombe Wood' - This plant is a bit larger in all its parts, with large gold-yellow blooms that are purple-red at the base. The habit is large and broad with large leaves that turn yellow come fall.

'Pallida', 'Sunburst' and 'Westerstede' - These are three fine forms with confused nomenclature. Please see listings under Hamamelis x intermedia.