Witch Hazel is a common shrub, sometimes growing tall enough to be considered a tree. It usually grows to about 15 feet, but can reach heights of 30 feet. This shrub is very broad and has many trunks. Its bark is light brown and can be smooth or scaly. Witch Hazel leaves are three to six inches long and have scalloped edges. They turn yellow in the fall.

Copyright, Mark Brand

Copyright, Mark Brand

Witch Hazel grows in forests as an understory plant, meaning underneath taller trees. It also grows along streams and edges of woods where it grows taller with more light. Witch Hazel is aromatic, meaning it has a pleasant smell. This plant blooms in the fall and has yellow, ribbon-like flowers with one inch petals. After the flowers fade, fruit develops for the next year, becoming ripe the following Fall.

The fruit ,which is about 1/2 inch long, explodes, launching two black seeds up to 30 feet. Witch Hazel grows underneath oaks, hickories, American Elm, Red Maple, Yellow Poplar, pine trees, Sweetgum, and American Beech. It is often alongside other shrubs or small trees, like Sassafras, Flowering Dogwood, and blueberry. Many birds eat the seeds, as well as Beaver, White-tailed Deer, Eastern Chipmunks, squirrels, and Eastern Cottontails.

Copyright, Mark Brand

Relationships in Nature:

Animals Using as Food Source	Animals Using as Shelter	Associations With Other Plants	OTHER
Beaver	American Dog Tick	Black Oak	Poison Ivy Pa
White-tailed Deer	Northern Cardinal	Red Maple	Crowded Parchment Pa
Eastern Cottontail	American Robin	Eastern White Pine	Honey Mushroom Pa
Eastern Gray Squirrel	Mourning Dove	Yellow Poplar	Dogwood Borer Pa
Eastern Chipmunk	American Goldfinch	American Elm
Wild Turkey	Spring Peeper	Sassafras
European Gypsy Moth	Striped Skunk	American Beech
Green Stinkbug	Eastern Gray Squirrel	Sweetgum
True Katydid	Eastern Chipmunk	Highbush Blueberry
Soil Mite	Meadow Vole	Flowering Dogwood
Polyphemus Moth	Least Shrew	Virginia Creeper
Dogwood Borer	Northern Bobwhite	Poison Ivy
	Wild Turkey	Mockernut Hickory
	Virginia Opossum	Black Cherry
	European Gypsy Moth	Trumpet Creeper
	White-tailed Deer	Wild Grape
	Black and Yellow Argiope	Climbing Bittersweet
	Green Stinkbug	Kentucky Bluegrass
	Eastern Hognose Snake	Bigtooth Aspen
	Dogwood Borer

Relationship to Humans:

Sap from Witch Hazel is used to scent soaps, deodorants, and lotions. Medicine is made with it as well. Wich Hazel is also used as a landscape shrub.

SCIENTIFIC CLASSIFICATION

KINGDOM Plant DIVISION Magnoliophyta CLASS Magnoliopsida ORDER Hamamelidales FAMILY Hamamelidaceae GENUS Hamamelis SPECIES Hamamelis virginiana

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