It's always somewhat surprising to find wildflowers in January, but despite cold temperatures, a shrub next to Scarboro Creek just below the Arboretum Visitors Center blooms late in the month. Vernal Witch Hazel is a native of the Ozark and Ouitchita Mountains. Its very fragrant flowers vary in color from yellow to purplish-red and usually bloom in late January or early February. The common name Witch Hazel purportedly comes from the belief that witchcraft allowed the crooked stems of the shrub to be used for divining water. The flowers of our native American Witch Hazel (Hamamelis virginiana) have 4 yellow strap-shaped petals and are less showy than those of Vernal Witch Hazel. Witch Hazel belongs to the plant family Hamamelidaceae. The only other genus in this family native to the U.S. is Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua).

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