While walking through some woods in Clarke County this week, I noticed a faint, citruslike fragrance in the chilly air. I quickly spied the source, a witch-hazel tree in full bloom.
The small tree sports its thin, yellow flowers in November and into December, when the rest of the forest is going into winter dormancy. Its late bloom time makes the witch-hazel one of Georgia’s most unusual native trees. But it also has other adaptations that make it a standout this time of year.
Its curly, ribbon-like flowers look like small party streamers. When temperatures drop, the 1-inch petals curl up, then unfurl again in the warming sun. The trait protects the flowers’ nectar and pollen, which provide nourishment for a host of hardy insect species (flies, midges, beetles) that are also active during winter. In particular, fall and winter moths are attracted to witch-hazel blooms.
The tree's scientific name, Hamamelis, literally means "together with fruit." It refers to another unusual witch-hazel trait — Georgia's only native tree that has its ripe seeds, flowers and next year's leaf bud all on the same branch at the same time. The shiny black seeds take a year to mature. At about the same time that the flowers are blooming, the seeds are ejected from their capsules with a powerful force that may hurl them 40 feet away.
The seeds are important winter food for ruffed grouse, bobwhite quails, white-tailed deer, beavers, cottontail rabbits, wild turkeys, gray squirrels and other creatures.
Occurring throughout Georgia, the witch-hazel is most prevalent in the Piedmont and mountains. It often has multiple trunks and an irregular, somewhat flattened spreading crown. One trait — its astringency — makes it useful to humans. Native Americans used it to treat colds, eye infections, skin ailments and kidney problems. Today, one can find witch-hazel extracts in drug stores to treat those same ills. So-called “dowsers” also used witch-hazel branches as divining rods to find underground water sources.
IN THE SKY: The North Taurid Meteor shower reaches a peak of about 15 meteors per hour on Sunday night, said David Dundee, Tellus Science Museum astronomer. Look to the east from about midnight until dawn.
The moon will be new on Tuesday. Venus rises out of the east about two hours before sunrise and will appear near the moon Sunday morning. Mars, low in the southwest just after dark, sets in the west a few hours later and will appear near the moon on Thursday night. Jupiter rises out of the east a few hours after dark. Saturn rises out of the east just before dawn and will appear near the moon on Monday morning.
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