The Dawes Arboretum

Common name: red Japanese witch-hazel

Family: Hamamelidaceae (witch-hazel family)

Synonym: Hamamelis flavopurpurascens, Hamamelis japonica 'Flavo-purpurascens', Hamamelis japonica var. discolor, Hamamelis japonica var. flavopurpurascens

Distribution: Species native to Japan

Hardiness: USDA Zone 5

Life form: Deciduous shrub/Subshrub

Comments: An upright deciduous flowering shrub that will mature to around 10' tall and nearly as wide, but is noticeably slower growing than hybrid selections. Unfolding leaves are attractively red tinted and later appear dark green until turning yellow in autumn. In March pale yellow, faintly scented flowers have a deep maroon-red base. Overall produces a red-yellow bicolor effect.