''Hamamelis japonica'', Japanese witch-hazel, is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Hamamelidaceae, native to Japan but widely cultivated in temperate situations elsewhere. A horizontally spreading, hardy

deciduous In the fields of horticulture and Botany, the term ''deciduous'' () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, aft ...

shrub A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...

or small tree, it is notable for the slightly fragrant yellow blooms which clothe its naked branches in the depths of winter through to early spring (usually in January and February). The green leaves follow, and in favourable locations they turn yellow before dropping in autumn. ''H. japonica'' is one parent of the hybrid ''Hamamelis'' × ''intermedia'', an extremely popular and widespread award-winning garden shrub, whose other parent is ''

Hamamelis mollis ''Hamamelis mollis'', also known as Chinese witch hazel, is a species of flowering plant in the witch hazel family Hamamelidaceae Hamamelidaceae, commonly referred to as the witch-hazel family, is a family of flowering plants in the order ...

''.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q163119 Trees of Japan Hamamelidaceae