Buttercup witch hazel

Description

Corylopsis pauciflora, the buttercup witch hazel or winter hazel, is a species of flowering plant in the genus Corylopsis of the family Hamamelidaceae, native to Taiwan and Japan. It is a deciduous, spreading shrub growing to 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) tall by 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in) wide. It produces masses of pale yellow flowers in pendent racemes in early spring, followed by leaves opening bronze and turning to rich green. It is cultivated in gardens and parks in temperate regions. The Latin specific epithet pauciflora means "with few flowers".This refers to the low number of flowers per inflorescence compared to other Corylopsis, not to the total number of flowers per plant. This plant has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. Corylopsis is a genus of nearly 30 species of shrubs in the witch hazel family, Hamamelidaceae, native to eastern Asia with the majority of species endemic to China but with some also in Japan, Korea, and the Himalayas. This genus is also known from the extinct species Corylopsis reedae described from Eocene leaf fossils found in Washington State, USA. They grow to 2–6 m (6 ft 7 in – 19 ft 8 in) tall, often with a crown wider than the shrub's height. The leaves are ovate with an acute apex and a serrated margin, 4–20 cm (2–8 in) long and 3–15 cm (1.2–5.9 in) broad. The flowers are produced in late winter in pendulous racemes 3–9 cm (1.2–3.5 in) long with 5-30 flowers; each flower has five pale yellow petals, 4–9 mm long. The fruit is a dry capsule 10–12 mm long, containing two glossy black seeds. They are often grown in gardens for their very early, yellow flowers. They do have weak branches though, which are often damaged by heavy snow loads. Corylopsis prefers to grow in semi-shade or shade, protected from strong winds. It grows best on humus-rich soils. The sweetly scented flowering branches keep well in a vase. Corylopsis also makes good bonsai plants, especially C. pauciflora.