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MISC. PUBLICATION 77, U. S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE 



Habitat and range. — This small native plant frequents sandy soils in eool, 

 damp woods, especially under evergreen trees in Canada and the northeastern 

 United States. 



Description. — Wintergreen is an aromatic, evergreen plant with an under- 

 ground or creeping stem producing erect branches not more than 6 inches in 

 height, the lower part of which is smooth and naked, while near the ends are 

 borne the crowded, leathery, evergreen leaves. From June to September the 

 solitary, white, waxy, somewhat urn-shaped flowers are borne at the axils of 

 the leaves. These are followed by roundish, somewhat flattened berries, which, 

 after they ripen in autumn, are bright red, mealy, and spicy, and remain on 

 the plant sometimes until spring. All parts of the plant are aromatic. 



Part used. — The herb or leaves, collected in the autumn. The plant when 

 distilled with steam yields oil of wintergreen. The distillation of this oil is an 

 established industry in some localities where the plant grows in sufficient abun- 

 dance. 13 In limited demand onlv. 



Figure 121.— Wintergreen (Gaultheria pro- 

 cumbens) 



Figure 122.— Witch-hazel (Ilamamelis vir- 

 giniana) 



WITCH-HAZEL 



Hamamelis virginiana L. (Fig. 122.) 



Other common names. — Snapping hazel, winterbloom, wych-hazel, striped 

 alder, spotted alder, tobacco wood. 



Habitat and range. — The home of this native shrub is in low damp woods 

 from New Brunswick to Minnesota and south to Florida and Texas. 



Description. — Witch-hazel, while it may grow to 25 feet in height, more fre- 

 quently reaches a height of only 8 to 15 feet. It has a crooked stem and long, 

 forking branches with smooth, brown bark. The leaves are from 3 to 5 inches 

 long, thick, and borne on short stalks. A peculiar feature of the plant is the 

 lateness of the threadlike, yellow flowers, which do not appear until late in autumn 

 or in early winter after the leaves have fallen. The seed capsule does not mature 

 until the following season, when it bursts open, scattering the shining black, 

 hard seeds with great force and to a considerable distance. 



Part used. — The leaves, twigs, and bark, collected in autumn. These con- 

 tain a volatile oil the distillation of which for the production of witch-hazel 

 extract is a well-developed industry in southern New England. 13 In reasonably 

 constant demand. 



1 3 Sievers, A. F. Op. cit. (See footnote 4.) 





