General Landscape Uses:
Specimen or background shrub.
Availability:
Available at native plant nurseries in northeast Florida.
Description: Deciduous large shrub or small tree 10-25 feet tall with a low branching trunk and crooked branches. Pale green, coarse leaves 2-6 inches long. Showy yellow flowers with ribbon-like petals.
Dimensions: Typically 10-25 feet in height. Taller than broad.
Growth Rate: Moderate.
Range:
Eastern and central United States south to the panhandle and scattered to Hillsborough, Polk, and Highlands counties. For a digitized image of Elbert Little's Florida range map, visit the
Exploring Florida website.
Map of select IRC data from peninsular Florida.
Map of suggested ZIP codes from South Florida north to southern Brevard, Osceola, Polk, and Pasco counties.
Habitats: Wet hammocks, moist slopes, upland woods, creek swamps, floodplains.
Soils: Moist, well-drained sandy or limestone soils, with or without humusy top layer.
Nutritional Requirements: Moderate; can grow in nutrient poor soils, but needs some organic content to thrive.
Salt Water Tolerance: Low; does not tolerate long-term flooding by salt or brackish water.
Salt Wind Tolerance: Low; salt wind may burn the leaves.
Drought Tolerance: Moderate; generally requires moist soils, but tolerant of short periods of drought once established.
Light Requirements: Moderate to light shade.
Flower Color: Yellow
Flower Characteristics: Showy.
Flowering Season: Fall.
Fruit: Hard, irregularly shaped, conelike capsule.
References: Mellichamp (
2014), Nelson (
2003)
Comments: Source of the astringent ointment called "witchhazel." We have been adding data for this species for central and northern Florida and welcome any feedback or review. If you would like to contribute information or images, please contact George Gann via the IRC staff page. See also the Florida Wildflower Foundation's
Flower Friday page.
