Virginia Tech Dendrology

Chinese winterhazel Hamamelidaceae Corylopsis sinensis Hemsl. symbol: COSI12
Leaf: Alternate, simple, ovate, cordate base, 2 to 5 inches long, bristly serrated, dark green, pale blue-green beneath.
Flower: Attractive, fragrant, pastel yellow, 1/2 inch long, in hanging clusters (2 to 3 inches long) of 8 to 12 flowers, appear before the leaves in early spring.
Fruit: Small, dry, 2-valved capsule, 1/4 inch.
Twig: Slender, gray-brown, speckled in raised lenticels; buds large, broadly ovate, pointed, yellow-green and brown, may be tinged in red.
Bark: Gray to reddish brown, smooth.
Form: A suckering, multi-stemmed shrub reaching up to 10 feet tall.
Looks like: buttercup winterhazel - fragrant winterhazel - dwarf fothergilla

Additional Range Information: Corylopsis sinensis is planted in the USDA hardiness zones shown above and is not known to widely escape cultivaton. 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