Witch hazel plant (photo) - care and reproduction, application and properties
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GROWING GAMAMELIS - APPLICATION AND PROPERTIES OF THE PLANT
Bright flowers with narrow, fringed petals adorn witch hazel in early spring, before the leaves appear, or in late autumn, shortly before the first snow. The flowering time depends on the type of plant. At the same time, fruit-boxes, resembling small nuts, invariably appear on witch hazel in the fall, sometimes appearing as if out of nowhere. Apparently, this is why the plant is called the magic nut.
Extraordinarily beautiful East Asian types of witch hazel: японский with reddish or bright red petals curled down and soft-haired with flowers of a rich yellow tone. Their interspecific hybrid is also very interesting - witch hazel intermediatecharacterized by fragrant flowers up to 4 cm in diameter, consisting of 4 narrow belt-shaped petals, the color of which can be from lemon to burgundy-terracotta.
But, unfortunately, these species and varieties obtained from them are not adapted to life in our climate. They are usually recommended for cultivation in the southern regions. Nevertheless, in my garden near St. Petersburg, witch hazel has already survived 3 winters under cover, and I even managed to admire its bright flowering. But it is still too early to draw any conclusions, perhaps this behavior of a heat-loving plant is just an exception to the rule.
Differ in the greatest winter hardiness witch hazel virgin and spring witch hazeloriginating from North America. In their homeland, they are mainly found in the undergrowth and on forest edges, grow along streams, in river valleys and on rocky shores. In frosty winters in the middle zone, annual shoots often die in plants, but during the summer a lot of young shoots appear, which more than compensates for the lost branches.
Hamamelis virginiana is a multi-stemmed shrub. The maximum plant height is 3 m. The shape of the crown is round, the branches are spreading. Young shoots are slightly pubescent.
See also: Witch hazel (photo) landing care and benefit
Flowering begins in autumn, before the foliage turns yellow, and lasts for 3 weeks. The flowers have a faint aroma and an unusual shape: bright yellow, very narrow and long (up to 2 cm) petals, purple anthers and a brownish-yellow calyx. The flowers bloom spontaneously and at first are barely visible among the foliage. But after a while, when the plant begins to shed its leaves, witch hazel resembles a golden yellow glowing cloud.
The leaves of the shrub are leathery and dense, dark green in color with an asymmetrical base and a serrated edge, sit on short petioles and have a slight pubescence on the underside. Young foliage begins to appear in mid-May, and with the onset of autumn changes its color to lemon-yellow with a slight red tint. Hamamelis leaves retain their rich color even after drying, so they can be used for winter bouquets.
The fruits ripen in the fall of next year, when new flowers appear on the plant. At first, the "nuts" are green, then gradually acquire a brown color. The leaves of the ligneous fruit-capsules remain closed for a long time, but when ripe, the "nut" literally shoots out seeds.
Spring witch hazel, unlike Virginia, blooms in spring, in mid-April, when the leaves have not yet opened on the plant. The length of the light yellow petals is about 1,5 cm, the calyx is dark red.
After flowering, elongated leaves of an obovate or oval shape appear on the shrub. The fruits ripen in September. The average height of the plant is about 1,5 m. You can cut off spring witch hazel with a broomstick of inflorescences.
Several interesting varieties have been obtained from this plant species. Carnea is a plant with a straight, rather narrow crown, up to 2 m in height; in the fall, the foliage acquires a bright yellow or reddish color. The flower petals are pale pink, the calyx is light pinkish red. The Sandra variety is distinguished by the purple color of young leaves, which eventually turn green only on top. Autumn color of foliage is golden-orange. The flowers are very small and yellow.
The early flowering variety Christmas Cheer has a creamy, almost white color. The petals are red at the base and yellow-orange at the ends of the Squib variety. The foliage of Lombarts Weeping surprisingly changes color in autumn: first, a purple edging looms on the leaf plate, and then the middle of the leaf acquires a yellow-orange tint. The flowers are bright, crimson red.
When choosing a place to plant witch hazel, you should give preference to a sunny area. The soil should be fertile, well-drained and moderately moist. Witch hazel does not grow rapidly, it grows no more than 15 cm per year. And a stable annual flowering can be expected only from the age of 7. Shrubs usually reach their maximum size during this time.
New plants can be obtained in a vegetative way - with the help of horizontal or aerial BROCHERS.
Rooting occurs after a year. It is not difficult to propagate witch hazel and seeds. Ripe fruit-boxes reach a size of about 1,5 cm. If you collect them and transfer them into the house, then after a while, after drying, they will open and shoot with seeds covered with a strong shell. Germination requires stratification. Sowing seeds will need to be carried out at the end of October - November in boxes with a mixture of fertile soil and sand (2: 1), covered with sawdust on top and buried in snow.
Witch hazel shoots should appear in the second year. In general, the plant is not capricious, practically does not suffer from diseases and is not damaged by pests, but in dry weather it needs watering.
See also: Decorative shrubs for northern, cold regions
GAMAMELIS - MAGIC NUTS AND MORE
Recently, scientists have become interested in the unusual ability of witch hazel to shoot seeds over long distances. In nature, the plant is capable of giving a “volley” at 6-8 m, while the speed of the seeds is more than 12 m / s.
It turned out that during the shot, the pulp of the fruit presses on the seeds with such force that they rotate, making about 26000 revolutions per minute, and their movement resembles the movement of a bullet in the barrel of a rifle.
In natural conditions, witch hazel is usually hidden behind tall trees and shrubs. Therefore, in the process of evolution, the plant has formed the ability to scatter its seeds far.
GAMAMELIS - USEFUL PROPERTIES
The healing properties of this plant were already known to the Indians, who used it as an early healing and hemostatic agent. From the beginning of the XVIII century. witch hazel began to be grown as a medicinal plant in England, and in the middle of the XNUMXth century. American doctors became interested in him, having established in the country the production of a medicine from tincture of witch hazel leaves.
The foliage, young shoots and bark of the plant contain about 170 substances known to modern science. Thanks to such a rich composition, the healing properties of witch hazel are also extensive: it has anti-inflammatory, antiviral and antimicrobial effects, is used for edema and as an antioxidant, and is even able to inhibit cells of malignant tumors.
See also: Decorative shrubs - the most beautiful spring
GAMAMELIS VIRGINSKY - MAGIC NUT: VIDEO
© Author: G. NIKOLAEVA Leningrad Region
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