A North American deciduous shrub famous for ribbon-like fragrant winter flowers and its bark extract used in skincare and folk medicine.
Description
Witch hazel grows as a vase-shaped shrub with broad oval leaves that turn yellow in autumn. Curiously, the spidery yellow flowers with crumpled ribbon-like petals appear in autumn or winter.
Cultivation
A tough woodland shrub for moist soil with sun or part shade, witch hazel is grown in cool gardens for its rare winter bloom and its strong, sweet, cinnamon-like fragrance.
Uses
A steam distillation of the bark and twigs yields witch hazel astringent, used to soothe minor skin irritation. Forked witch hazel branches are also a traditional dowsing tool for water diviners.