Witch-Hazel On the Duke University Campus

 

I saw this witchhazel growing in the yard of Documentary Studies at Duke University. Clicking on the picture should get you a closer look. It was growing beside the walk way and I was very pleased to make it's acquaintance, as I seldom get to see one in bloom. I expect flowers of the ones in the woods here are already passed. They bloom in east central Alabama in January and February. I suspect this may be a cultivar instead of a wild specimen, but you get the idea from the photo. Fruit, flowers and next years buds all appear on the same branch simultaneously. The fruit takes about 8 months to mature. In the fall it bursts open explosively sending seeds flying to as far away as 35 feet. An extract of the leaves and bark is a sometimes ingredient in after shave and hemorrhoid preparations. It is also used to treat bruises and insect bites.