American Witch-hazel

Probably the last call (!) for the moist packed seeds; we have again a window of opportunity for shipping, but it won’t last long.

New seeds in stock for today: Hamamelis virginiana,Viburnum lentago (Nannyberry), plus a replenished stock for Triosteum aurantiacum. They can be grown together in the garden as they enjoy similar conditions.

For those unfamiliar with it, a Hamamelis virginiana plant portrait follows next, with the emphasis on a very cool method of seeds dispersal. You can still find the American witch-hazels in flower in the woods, and who knows, maybe even witness a few ‘flying’ seeds!
Having a late October flowering species it is a real treat for the cold climate of Eastern Canada (and not only). It is not a ‘mistake’, it happens every year. The bright yellow flowers with a spicy fragrance that adorn the usual bare branches are very visible at this time of year.

In addition to the odd flowering time, the fruit maturation is also unusual: woody capsules develop over many months into the next year, and then explosively expel two shiny seeds at the same time with the new blooming. The genus name Hamamelis is actually a reference to this, meaning “at the same time” (flowering) and “fruit”.

It is said that the seeds can be expelled at up to 6-10 m distance! This method of seed dispersal reflects another, rarely employed common name: snapping hazelnut. Even more, the seeds spin during their ‘flight’!

This dispersal of seeds is similar for all Hamamelis species (4 of them), and the phenomenon has received a lot of attention. Scientists believe that it could inspire/improve the design of mechanisms for jumping robots. Watch and read the explanations of this cool video recorded by a team from Duke University: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dv0ltUBe_UE

While approaching a group of witch-hazels to smell the flowers last week, I noticed some capsules slightly opened and just showing the seeds.

I collected a few, how to abstain?! I never had the chance before. At home, I placed them in a paper bag, and then popping sounds were heard over the next few days. You can just relax and wait for the seeds to ‘liberate’ themselves in the bag. How nice, compared to cleaning Viburnum seeds!

Hamamelis virginiana leaves are similar in shape to those of European Corylus, the hazelnut, and this combined with the fact that Early European settles observed that Indigenous People used its forked branches to find underground water sources (dowsing), lead to the common name of witch-hazel. It seems that the early name was actually Wicke Hazel (meaning pliant in Old English), and only later it became witch-hazel, although it has nothing to do with the witches :)

 A nice small tree with a vase shape, suitable for part-shaded to sun locations (better flowering), and quite adaptable to substrates, with the exception of those too dry. Besides the late fall flowering, the foliage will also take a nice golden hue in the fall. It is less cultivated than the more colorful Asian Hamamelis species/hybrids available on the market, but I think we should give it more attention. After all, how many species do we have in our cold climate to flower in October?!

Propagation by seeds
The seeds require alternate cycles of warm followed by cold for germination. Considering they have just been harvested, if we sow in outdoor pots in late fall/winter, it means they will germinate in the second year after sowing. Or we can try cycles of moist stratification in plastic bags, or – even better, sow the seeds in late spring/summer and let it all happen naturally!