The American Midland Naturalist 



PUBLISHED BI-MONTHLY BY THE UNIVERSITY 

 OF NOTRE DAME, NOTRE DAME, INDIANA. 



VOL. III. APRIL, 1913. NO . "^ 



Midland Witch Hazels. 



BY J. A. NIEUWLAND. 



Rafinesque had described various species of Witch Hazels 

 as segregates from Hamavielis virginiana Linn., but none of these 

 are now accepted by American botanists at large, as having suffi- 

 ciently distinctive or constant characters to warrant recognition. 

 All or nearly all were described from the southern or southeastern 

 United States, and concerning their validity we need not concern 

 ourselves here, as none are to be looked for within the region em- 

 braced by this article. Their descriptive diagnosis has been made 

 sufficiently plain and Rafinesque's original article may be consulted 

 by such as wish to study them critically.^ Walter^ published 

 several species and Pursh^ one, which all met the same fate as 

 those of Rafinesque. Pursh even advanced the opinion that 

 the northern common Witch Hazel was specifically different 

 from the southern one. The only other species admitted by 

 botanists generally beside H. virginiana Linn, are the oriental 

 H. japonica Sieb. & Zucc,"^ also H. verna Sarg. which blooms in 

 spring. 



The type of the genus came from Virginia whence Mitchell^ 

 first indicated the plant as typical of a ne^v genus, though it had 

 been known long before. He pointed out in criticism of the Genera 

 Plantarum of Linnaeus of 1737, that a number of generic types 



1 Rafinesque, C. S. New Fl. Am. Ill, pp. 16 and 17, (1836). 



2 Walter, T., Fl. Car. p. 255. (1788). 



3 Pursh, F. Fl. Am. Sept. I, p. 116 (1814). 



4 Siebold, P., and Zuccarini, J. Abh. Akad. Muench. I\', II, p. 193, 

 (1843)- 



5 Mitchell, J., Act. Ac. Leop. Carol. \'III, pp. 187, 224, also Mitchel. 

 J. Dissert brevis de Prin. Bot. App. Xorimb. 1769. 



