Jesse Saylor
Family
Hamamelidaceae
Botanical Name
Hamamelis japonica
Plant Common Name
Japanese Witchhazel
Special Notice
This entry has yet to be reviewed and approved by L2G editors.
General Description
Japanese witchhazel's bare, architecturally interesting branches become a party of color and mild fragrance in late winter with tiny, multicolored, spidery blossoms. This native of Japan is a wide-spreading deciduous shrub with smooth, dark gray-brown bark and glossy, broadly oval, mid-green leaves. In autumn, they turn yellow, red and purple. Upon the bare, brown branches in late winter will be delicate tufts of very thin, crinkly yellow petals like look like tiny, short ribbons. The four petals are salmon-pink at their bases, where they attach to a dark burgundy-purple cup.
Grow the Japanese witchhazel in well-draining soils, ideally acidic or neutral in pH, but it will perform nicely in mildly alkaline soils that are moist, fertile and deep. All soils should have an ample organic matter composition. The interesting form of the wide-reaching branches makes this an excellent specimen plant for a large landscape, such as a park or university campus. In can be grown in the mixed border or as a foundation plant only if there is space.
There are four natural varieties of this species: japonica, obtusa, megalophylla, and bitchuensis. Cultivar ‘Zuccariniana’ has light yellow flowers and nice, orange-yellow fall foliage.
The pure species form of Japanese witchhazel may be difficult to locate in nurseries, usually overlooked and shadowed by smaller, more ornamental hybrid cultivars. In fact, it is one of parent plants for the highly ornamental hybrid witchhazel, Hamamelis x intermedia.
Characteristics
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AHS Heat Zone
9 - 5
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USDA Hardiness Zone
5 - 9
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Sunset Zone
2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 15, 16, 17
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Plant Type
Shrub
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Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun, Partial Shade
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Height
10'-15' / 3.0m - 4.6m
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Width
12'-18' / 3.7m - 5.5m
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Bloom Time
Winter, Late Winter
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Native To
Japan
Growing Conditions
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Soil pH
Acidic, Neutral
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Soil Drainage
Well Drained
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Soil type
Clay, Loam
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Tolerances
Drought
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Growth Rate
Medium
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Water Requirements
Average Water
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Habit
Spreading
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Seasonal Interest
Spring, Fall, Winter
Ornamental Features
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Flower Interest
Showy
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Flower Color
Yellow, Purple, Copper
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Flower Color Modifier
Multi-Color
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Foliage Color (Spring)
Green
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Foliage Color (Summer)
Dark Green
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Bark Color
Sandy Brown, Chocolate
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Fragrant Flowers
Yes
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Fragrant Fruit
No
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Fragrant Foliage
No
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Bark or Stem Fragrant
No
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Flower Petal Number
Single
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Repeat Bloomer
No
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Showy Fruit
No
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Edible Fruit
No
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Showy Foliage
No
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Foliage Texture
Coarse
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Foliage Sheen
Matte
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Evergreen
No
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Showy Bark
No
