Hamamelis intermedia, Witch Hazel seeds

Hamamelis intermedia seeds

Hamamelis intermedia belongs to the genus of the witch hazels and is a hybrid between Hamamelis mollis (Chinese witch hazel) and Hamamelis japonica (Japanese witch hazel). The parent species already disclose that Hamamelis intermedia is native to East Asia. The features of Hamamelis intermedia are in between the features of the parent species. That is why the species name of the hybrid is "intermedia". Hamamelis is a perennial shrub that reaches a height of maximal 5 m.

The shrub is always broader than high. The leaves of Hamamelis intermedia are roundish, inverted ovate and get maximal 15 cm long and 10 cm wide. Hamamelis intermedia is summer green, the leaves fall down in autumn. Before the leaves fall down they change color from dark green to yellow, orange and red. This looks beautiful colorful. Before the leaves sprout again Hamamelis intermedia starts flowering. The main flowering time starts, depending on the climate, between December and February. The flower bearing shrub without leaves looks extraordinary. The flowers have four corolla and four calyx leaves. They are hermaphrodite. The corolla leaves are ribbon- type and much longer as the calyx leaves. They look sometimes quite wrinkled. The calyx leaves are smaller and curved. Hamamelis intermedia varies much in color. The color spectrum reaches from yellow to orange, red, dark red to brownish. The flowers can survive temperatures of minus 10 °C. In the frozen state the flowers look flabby. With defrosting the flowers tighten again and look fresh again. They are able to make every garden look awesome in winter. Due to that Hamamelis intermedia is a popular plant in Europe. The fruit is a capsule.

The cultivation of Hamamelis intermedia is quite complex. The seeds need pretreatment. A warm and cold stratification is required. That means that the seeds in the moist substrate have to stand at a warm place for 3 months and after that they have to be put into the fridge at a temperature of about 4°C for also 3 months. Despite the pretreatment, the germination time can strongly vary. One should be patient. It is worth it. .