March 17, 2009
Spring-blooming Witch Hazel, Hamamelis vernalis
A true harbinger of spring, this large shrub or understory tree bursts out with cheerful yellow flowers long before most of us even dare to think of spring. This species is a native of the southern US: Our local New England species, Hamamelis virginiana*, flowers late in the fall after its leaves have died and are still clinging to the twigs.
* One might conclude that H. virginiana must be the southern species, but that is not the case!