Clark's Oregon Wildflower Blog: Witch-Hazel

Saturday, March 1, 2014

Witch-Hazel

If you run an internet search for Witch-Hazel, all kinds of interesting things pop up! And if you have lived around Hillsboro for a while, then you know there is a Witch-Hazel Elementary School in town. According to Wikipedia, the area where the old school was located was an unincorporated area of Washington County, called Witch Hazel, after a race horse. See the link below for more on the history of this area.

Most old people have heard of Witch-Hazel, the liquid astringent sold in stores since before there were drug strores. It is said to be better than rubbing alcohol for external scrapes and maladies - I have never tried it myself, but it has been around since Native Americans shared it with the colonists in the 1600's. These products are derived from the leaves and bark of the Witch Hazel shrub (Hamamelis). See the link below for more Witch-Hazel uses.

There are three species of Hamamelis that grow in North America. They are deciduous shrubs that are unique in that their flowers bloom from the prior year's fruit. You can see that in the photos below. The genus name comes from the Latin word for "together with fruit."

I spotted two of these shrubs blooming at Jenkins Estate (2/21/2014) - one yellow and the other orange. The first, Homamelis virginiana, is native to the Northeastern U.S., and the second is native to China and is widely planted as a garden ornamental that blooms in winter. The blooms remind me of Medusa, the Greek goddess, that would turn you into stone if you looked at her. Could be why I have never tried the astringent...