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Hamamelis virginiana
| Common name: |
Witch Hazel |
Family: |
Hamamelidaceae |
| Author: |
L. |
Botanical references: |
11, 43, 200 |
| Synonyms: |
|
| Known Hazards: |
None known |
| Range: |
Eastern N. America - Nova Scotia to Wisconsin and south to Texas and N. Florida. |
| Habitat: |
Edges of dry or moist woods, in rich soil and on the rocky banks of streams[43, 82]. The best specimens are found in deep rich soils[229]. |
| Edibility Rating (1-5): |
3 | Medicinal Rating (1-5): | 5 |
| Other Possible Synonyms: | From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below. |
| H. macrophylla[B,P]
H. virginiana var. henryi[B,P]
H. virginiana var. macrophylla[B,P]
H. virginiana var. parvifolia[B,P]
H. viriginiana[E]
|
| Other Common Names: | From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below. |
| American Witch-hazel [B], American Witchhazel [P], Amerika-Mansaku [E], Carpe [E], Chin Lu Mei [E], Common Witch-hazel [DEN1], Hamamelis [E], Pistachier Noir [E], Trilopo [E], Virginische Toverhazelaar [E], Virginischer Zauberstrauch [E], Witch Hazel [H,S,E], Witch-hazel [FEIS], |
| Systematics: | From a USDA
Plants Database |
|
Order: Hamamelidales. Witch-hazel family
|
| Other Range Info: |
From the Ethnobotany Database |
|
Britain; China; Denmark; France; Germany; Italy; Netherlands; Spain; Us; Us(Amerindian); Us(Appalachia)
|
Physical Characteristics
A decidious shrub growing to 5m by 5m at a slow rate. It is hardy to zone 5. It is in flower from September to November, and the seeds ripen from August to September. The scented flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by 7.
We rate it 3/5 for edibility and
5/5 for medicinal use.
The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and requires well-drained soil.
The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils.
It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade.
It requires moist soil.
Habitats and Possible Locations
Woodland, Sunny Edge, Dappled Shade.Edible Uses
Seed; Tea.
Seed - raw or cooked[232]. An oily texture[4, 102, 177, 213]. The seeds
are about the size of a barley grain and have a thick bony coat[2]. The
reports of edibility must be treated with some suspicion, they all seem to
stem from one questionable report in the 'Medical Flora' of Refinesque[2].
A refreshing tea is made from the leaves and twigs[102, 105, 177, 257].
Medicinal Uses
Disclaimer
Astringent; Haemostatic; Homeopathy; Sedative; Tonic.
Witch hazel bark is a traditional herb of the North American Indians
who used it to heal wounds, treat tumours, eye problems etc[254]. A very
astringent herb, it is commonly used in the West and is widely available from
both herbalists and chemists[222]. It is an important ingredient of
proprietary eye drops, skin creams, ointments and skin tonics[238]. It is
widely used as an external application to bruises, sore muscles, varicose
veins, haemorrhoids, sore nipples, inflammations etc[238].
The bark is astringent, haemostatic, sedative and tonic[4, 14, 21, 165, 171,
222]. Tannins in the bark are believed to be responsible for its astringent
and haemostatic properties[222]. Bottled witch hazel water is a steam
distillate that does not contain the tannins from the shrub[222], this is
less effective in its action than a tincture[238].
The bark is used internally in the treatment of diarrhoea, colitis,
dysentery, haemorrhoids, vaginal discharge, excessive menstruation, internal
bleeding and prolapsed organs[238].
Branches and twigs are harvested for the bark in the spring[238].
An infusion of the leaves is used to reduce inflammations, treat piles,
internal haemorrhages and eye inflammations[213]. The leaves are harvested in
the summer and can be dried for later use[238].
A homeopathic remedy is made from fresh bark[232]. It is used in the
treatment of nosebleeds, piles and varicose veins[232]. We have a more details factsheet on the history and medicinal use of this plant. Email webmaster@pfaf.org for details.
Other Uses
Cosmetic; Miscellany; Rootstock; Tannin; Wood.
Used as a rootstock for the ornamental species in this genus[182].
The plant is very rich in tannin[7]. It is used cosmetically as an
ingredient in almost any preparation made to relieve capillary weaknesses[7].
The stems have been used for water divining[257].
Wood - heavy, hard, very close grained[82]. It weighs 43lb per cubic
foot[235]. The trees are too small to be a useful lumber source[229].
Cultivation details
Prefers a moist sandy loam[14, 130] in a sunny position[1], though it
tolerates some shade[14]. Prefers a rich well-drained soil[1]. Dislikes dry
limy soils but will succeed in a calcareous soil if it is moist[130]. Prefers
a position sheltered from cold drying winds in a neutral to slightly acid
soil[200].
A very hardy plant tolerating temperatures down to about -35°c[184].
Plants seldom produce seeds in Britain[4].
Witch hazel is a widely used medicinal herb. The bark is harvested
commercially from the wild in N. America[61].
The twigs have been used in the past as dowsing rods for water
divining[229].
A slow growing shrub, it takes about 6 years to flower from seed[200]. The
flowers have a soft sweet perfume[245].
This species is notably susceptible to honey fungus[200].
Propagation
Seed - this can be very slow to germinate. It is best to harvest the
seed 'green' (as soon as it is mature but before it has dried on the plant)
around the end of August and sow it immediately in a cold frame[80, 98]. It
may still take 18 months to germinate[200] but will normally be quicker than
stored seed which will require 2 months warm stratification then 1 month cold
followed by another 2 weeks warm and then a further 4 months cold
stratification[113]. Scarification may also improve germination of stored
seed[80]. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots as soon as they are
large enough to handle. Overwinter them in a greenhouse for their first
winter and plant out in late spring[78].
Layering in early spring or autumn[78, 200]. Takes 12 months. Good
percentage[78].
Softwood cuttings, summer in a frame[200].
Scent
-
Flowers: Fresh
- The flowers have a soft sweet perfume.
Suppliers
For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.
PFAF Web Pages
This plant is mentioned in the following web pages
Web References
- Details of Medicinal Uses, Habitats, etc. in M. Grieve A Modern Herbal (1931) [4]
- [H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
- [E] Ethnobotany Data
(common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
- [V] Images
from the Vascular Plant Image Gallery of the Texas A&M Bioinformatics Working Group.
- [B] Data
(Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
- [S] Image
from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
- [S] Illustration
from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
- [S] Illustration
from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
- [G] Data
(Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
- [PHARM] Phytochemical Data
(common names, uses, countries) from Dr Duke's Phytochemical Database.
- [P] Data.
(uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
- [S] Illustration
from the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine
- [HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database
- [DEN] Data _ Photos
(Good Identification info) from the Virginia Tech's Dendrology Deptarments' Tree Fact Sheets.
- [FEIS] Data
(Uses, Ecology, Fire Effects) from the USDA Forestry Service Fire Effects Information System.
- [FEIS] Data
(Uses, Ecology, Fire Effects) from the USDA Forestry Service Fire Effects Information System.
References for Hamamelis viriginiana (a possible synonym).
References for the family Hamamelidaceae.
See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.
Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.
[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).
[2] Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.
[4] Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9
Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.
[7] Chiej. R. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald 1984 ISBN 0-356-10541-5
Covers plants growing in Europe. Also gives other interesting information on the plants. Good photographs.
[11] Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981
A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.
[14] Holtom. J. and Hylton. W. Complete Guide to Herbs. Rodale Press 1979 ISBN 0-87857-262-7
A good herbal.
[21] Lust. J. The Herb Book. Bantam books 1983 ISBN 0-553-23827-2
Lots of information tightly crammed into a fairly small book.
[43] Fernald. M. L. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co. 1950
A bit dated but good and concise flora of the eastern part of N. America.
[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.
[78] Sheat. W. G. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. MacMillan and Co 1948
A bit dated but a good book on propagation techniques with specific details for a wide range of plants.
[80] McMillan-Browse. P. Hardy Woody Plants from Seed. Grower Books 1985 ISBN 0-901361-21-6
Does not deal with many species but it is very comprehensive on those that it does cover. Not for casual reading.
[82] Sargent. C. S. Manual of the Trees of N. America. Dover Publications Inc. New York. 1965 ISBN 0-486-20278-X
Two volumes, a comprehensive listing of N. American trees though a bit out of date now. Good details on habitats, some details on plant uses. Not really for the casual reader.
[98] Gordon. A. G. and Rowe. D. C. f. Seed Manual for Ornamental Trees and Shrubs.
Very comprehensive guide to growing trees and shrubs from seed. Not for the casual reader.
[102] Kavasch. B. Native Harvests. Vintage Books 1979 ISBN 0-394-72811-4
Another guide to the wild foods of America.
[105] Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976
The most comprehensive guide to edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.
[113] Dirr. M. A. and Heuser. M. W. The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation. Athens Ga. Varsity Press 1987 ISBN 0942375009
A very detailed book on propagating trees. Not for the casual reader.
[130] ? The Plantsman. Vol. 4. 1982 - 1983. Royal Horticultural Society 1982
Excerpts from the periodical giving cultivation details and other notes on some of the useful plants, including Distylium racemosum and some perennial members of the family Berberidaceae.
[165] Mills. S. Y. The Dictionary of Modern Herbalism.
An excellent small herbal.
[171] Hill. A. F. Economic Botany. The Maple Press 1952
Not very comprehensive, but it is quite readable and goes into some a bit of detail about the plants it does cover.
[177] Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984 ISBN 3874292169
An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of latin names with a brief list of edible parts.
[182] Thomas. G. S. Ornamental Shrubs, Climbers and Bamboos. Murray 1992 ISBN 0-7195-5043-2
Contains a wide range of plants with a brief description, mainly of their ornamental value but also usually of cultivation details and varieties.
[184] Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Shrubs. Pan Books 1989 ISBN 0-330-30258-2
Excellent photographs and a terse description of 1900 species and cultivars.
[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
[213] Weiner. M. A. Earth Medicine, Earth Food. Ballantine Books 1980 ISBN 0-449-90589-6
A nice book to read though it is difficult to look up individual plants since the book is divided into separate sections dealing with the different medicinal uses plus a section on edible plants. Common names are used instead of botanical.
[222] Foster. S. & Duke. J. A. A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. Eastern and Central N. America. Houghton Mifflin Co. 1990 ISBN 0395467225
A concise book dealing with almost 500 species. A line drawing of each plant is included plus colour photographs of about 100 species. Very good as a field guide, it only gives brief details about the plants medicinal properties.
[229] Elias. T. The Complete Trees of N. America. Field Guide and Natural History. Van Nostrand Reinhold Co. 1980 ISBN 0442238622
A very good concise guide. Gives habitats, good descriptions, maps showing distribution and a few of the uses. It also includes the many shrubs that occasionally reach tree proportions.
[232] Castro. M. The Complete Homeopathy Handbook. Macmillan. London. 1990 ISBN 0-333-55581-3
A concise beginner's guide to the subject. Very readable.
[235] Britton. N. L. Brown. A. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada Dover Publications. New York. 1970 ISBN 0-486-22642-5
Reprint of a 1913 Flora, but still a very useful book.
[238] Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995 ISBN 0-7513-020-31
A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.
[245] Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale. London. 1994 ISBN 0-7090-5440-8
An excellent, comprehensive book on scented plants giving a few other plant uses and brief cultivation details. There are no illustrations.
[254] Chevallier. A. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants Dorling Kindersley. London 1996 ISBN 9-780751-303148
An excellent guide to over 500 of the more well known medicinal herbs from around the world.
[257] Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998 ISBN 0-88192-453-9
Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.
Readers Comments
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Plant information taken from the
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Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
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Website: www.pfaf.org Phone: 0845 458 4719/_44(0) 1208 872963 This page (UK) http://www.comp.leeds.ac.uk/cgi-bin/pfaf/arr_html?Hamamelis+virginiana
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