Witch Hazel 



411 



hairy. The alternate leaves are 7 to 15 cm. long, ovate to nearly orbicular, sharp 

 or long pointed, seldom rounded, the very uneven base rounded or slightly cordate 

 on one side and wedge-shaped on the 

 other, the margin entire toward the 

 base, more or less scalloped toward 

 the end, the upper side dark green and 

 quite smooth, the venation on the lower 

 side prominently hairy; the leaf-stalk 

 is short, the small stipules lanceolate. 

 The flowers, which open in the autumn, 

 during or after the falling of the leaves 

 and the ripening of the previous year's 

 fruit, are in clusters of 3 on short 

 bracted peduncles at the axils of the 

 leaves; calyx 4-parted, reflexed and 

 hairy; petals 4, strap-shaped, crisped, 

 1.5 to 2.5 cm. long, bright yellow, but 

 sometimes wanting; stamens 4, short, 

 opposite the sepals, and alternate with 

 4 rudimentary stamens; the pistil con- 

 sists of a woolly 2 -celled ovary and a 



Fig. 361. —Witch Hazel. 



short, stigma-pointed style. The fruits, of which there are usually 2 in a cluster, are 

 about 15 mm. long, and are ovoid thickened, woody, hairy, 2-beaked capsules, 

 splitting open at the top, exposing a polished iimer surface and ejecting, with con- 

 siderable force, the suspended seeds, which are about 8 mm. long, smooth, nearly 

 black, and shining. 



The wood is hard, close-grained, light brown; its specific gravity is about 0.68. 

 The branches have long been in use as divining rods for the supposed detection of 

 water and minerals. An aqueous distillation over the fresh leaves and twigs is 

 largely employed as a popular application to sprains and bruises; the absence, 

 however, of any active constituent save the minutest trace of a volatile oil, strongly 

 indicates that its virtues, if any, reside in the small quantity of alcohol added for 

 its preservation. 



The generic name is Greek, having reference to the flowers and fruit appearing 

 at the same time. In addition to the above-described species, which is the type 

 of the genus, two others are known to occur in eastern Asia. 



