Hamamelis virginiana

The genus is considered distinct; this is the commonest North American species, with another (flowering in spring) in the Ozark region and Texas, and a few other species in Asia.

Widespread and abundant understory tree or shrub in a variety of deciduous forest habitats in the eastern United States and adjacent southernmost Canada. While there is some collecting of branches, bark, and/or foliage for medicinal uses, particularly in northwestern Connecticut, the overall impact of this activity on such an abundant plant is apparently having no reported long-term effects on its abundance and genetic diversity, particularly since most collecting is by repeated harvest of new growth from the same rootstocks.

Eastern North America, from New England and southern Quebec west to Iowa, Missouri, and Texas (Kartesz 1999). The species is considered rare and of local conservation concern only in Minnesota, Oklahoma, and Prince Edward Island, all areas on the periphery of its range.

Hundreds to thousands of populations are extant rangewide, depending on definition of "population." The state most pertinent to this assessment is Connecticut, where most harvesting for the medicinal trade reportedly occurs (cf. Foster 1999). The Connecticut Natural Diversity Database is not concerned about these impacts, and does not monitor occurrences of witch-hazel in their state (Nancy Murray pers. comm.). In Connecticut, there are at least hundreds of populations, depending on definitions.

A reliable source indicates that the species is wild-collected for the plant trade in northwestern Connecticut. Foster (1999) notes "much of the harvest still comes from the woods of northwestern Connecticut, where landowners contract directly with the distiller. Harvest begins in the autumn. Branches are cut to the ground, but resprout, providing a new harvest in a few years." An older account (Hill 1952) states that the source of supply was "chiefly from the southern Appalachians." In the 19th century, the industry (Pond's Extract) was based in New York before moving to Connecticut (Lloyd and Lloyd 1932).

Commercial production of witch-hazel distillate is reported, without cited basis, by one source (women.com 2000) to exceed a million gallons a year. Commercial distillation commonly utilizes the entire above-ground portion of the plant, harvested after the leaves drop (Foster 1999). Dried leaves and dried bark are also marketed for producers of other products as well as retail sale for home use; quantities involved are presumed minor compared to the distillation industry's needs. Duke (1993) is not aware of artificial synthesis of witch-hazel.

A person knowledgable about the herbal medicinal industry estimates that 60,000 pounds of leaf and bark is in trade per year, but it is uncertain whether this figure includes the more traditional drug-store market that constitutes a large fraction of the usage of this species (McGuffin pers. comm.).

As with most widespread plants of the eastern deciduous forest, habitat continues to be lost to agriculture, development, transportation and utility corridors, and other land-use changes, as well as displacement of witch-hazel in many forests by Eurasian honeysuckles and other invasive alien shrubs.