Virginia Tech Dendrology

vernal witch-hazel Hamamelidaceae Hamamelis vernalis Sarg. symbol: HAVE2
Leaf: Alternate, simple, inequalateral, 3 to 5 inches long, ovate to oblong, wavy toothed to dentate margin, base often very wedge-shaped, dark green above, paler and often fuzzy below.
Flower: Yellow to red, each about 1/2 inch across, long (1/2 inch), thin, thread-like petals, appearing in bunches from late winter to early spring.
Fruit: Dry woody capsule (1/2 inch long), black seeds are forcibly discharged when they split into two in late summer, initially green-brown and later turning tan, old capsules persistent.
Twig: Slender, fuzzy light brown; vegetative buds naked, appear as a folded, small leaf; flower buds round, clustered and stalked.
Bark: Smooth, gray-brown.
Form: A suckering, multi-stemmed medium sized (10 feet) shrub with a rounded crown.
Looks like: witch-hazel - hybrid witch-hazel - Persian ironwood - dwarf fothergilla

Additional Range Information: Hamamelis vernalis is native to North America. Range may be expanded by planting. Download the full-size PDF map.
External Links: USDA Plants Database
All material 2021 Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation; Photos and text by: John Seiler, Edward Jensen, Alex Niemiera, and John Peterson; Silvics reprinted from Ag Handbook 654; range map source information