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{{Short description|Species of tree}}{{Speciesbox| image = Hamamelis_vernalis_2.jpg| image_caption = Blooming in late February in the southern Ozarks| genus = Hamamelis| species = vernalis

Charles Sprague Sargent>Sarg.}}Hamamelis vernalis, the Ozark witchhazel{{PLANTS|id=HAVE2 |taxon= Hamamelis vernalis |accessdate=10 May 2015}} (or witch-hazel){{GRIN}}is a species of flowering plant in the witch-hazel family Hamamelidaceae, native to the Ozark Plateau in central North America, in Missouri, Oklahoma, and Arkansas.{{eFloras|1|233500659|Hamamelis vernalis |family=Hamamelidaceae |first=Frederick G. |last=Meyer}} It is a large deciduous shrub growing to {{cvt|4|m|ft|abbr=on}} tall. Description Hamamelis vernalis spreads by stoloniferous root sprouts. The leaves are oval, {{cvt|7–13|cm|in|frac=4}} long and {{cvt|6.7|–|13|cm|in|frac=16}} broad, cuneate to slightly oblique at the base, acute or rounded at the apex. They have a wavy-toothed or shallowly lobed margin, and a short, stout petiole {{cvt|7–15|mm|in|2}} long. The leaves are dark green above, and glaucous beneath, and often persist into the early winter.The flowers are deep to bright red, rarely yellow, with four ribbon-shaped petals {{cvt|7–10|mm|in|2}} long and four short stamens, and grow in clusters. Flowering begins in mid winter and continues until early spring. The Latin specific epithet means “spring-flowering”.BOOK, Harrison, Lorraine, RHS Latin for gardeners, 2012, Mitchell Beazley, United Kingdom, 9781845337315, 224, The fruit is a hard woody capsule {{cvt|10–15|mm|in|frac=8}} long, which splits explosively at the apex at maturity one year after pollination, ejecting the two shiny black seeds up to {{cvt|10|m|ft|0}} distant from the parent plant.Although often occurring with the related Hamamelis virginiana, H. vernalis does not intergrade, and can be distinguished by its flowering in late winter (December to March in its native range), rather than fall.{{eFloras|1|114541|Hamamelis |family=Hamamelidaceae |first=Frederick G. |last=Meyer}} Cultivation and uses Hamamelis vernalis is valued in cultivation for its strongly scented flowers appearing in late winter, when little else is growing. Several cultivars have been selected, mainly for variation in flower color, including ‘Carnea’ (pink flowers), ‘Red Imp’ (petals red with orange tips), and ‘Squib’ (vivid yellow flowers).Huxley, A., ed. (1992). New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. Macmillan {{ISBN|0-333-47494-5}}.Hamamelis vernalis.jpg|New foliage, spent flowersHamamelis vernalis (Ozark Witch-hazel) (32157870000).jpgHamamelis vernalis ( Ozark Witch-hazel, Vernal Witch-hazel) (34280102006).jpgHamamelis vernalis ‘Autumn embers’, Morris Arboretum 01.jpg|Flowers of Hamamelis varnalis ‘Autumn embers’ (copper-red) References {{Reflist}} External links {{Commons category}} {{NPIN|HAVE2 |link=1}} Missouri Botanical Garden, Kemper Center for Home Gardening: Hamamelis vernalis {{Taxonbar|from=Q1151064}}