American Witch-hazel
Hamamelis virginiana
native
Other Names:
Winter Bloom, Snapping Tobacco Wood, Spotted Elder
The American Witch-hazel is a common native shrub found throughout Virginia. The ragged looking yellow flowers usually bloom in groups of three and only in the autumn once the leaves begin to die. The flowers are bisexual, with very narrow long yellow petals resembling twisted straps. Many species of birds forage in American Witch-hazel, and it attracts a variety of insects, including wasps, flies, midges, flies, beetles, and a long list of moths. The "witch" in the name comes from the witching rods used in dowsing, which is an unscientific method of trying to locate groundwater and other items underground by holding a stick over it and feeling for vibrations. Hazel is a type of tree or shrub native to parts of the Northern Hemisphere. Witch-hazel is widely known as an astringent, and you can buy many witch-hazel health and beauty products, from skin toner to hemorrhoid pads.
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