Leaf
Agnieszka Kwiecień, Nova, Wikimedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
Large fothergilla
Fothergilla major (Sims) Lodd.
Also known as: Mountain witch alder
Family: Hamamelidaceae
1.5 to 3 m tall
Shrub for ericaceous soil, planted in borders, prized for its spring flowers and autumn colours.
Flowering: April – May
Full sun
Part shade
Hardy to about -20°C
❓ How do you recognise this plant?
Its spring flowers have no petals: they are tufts of fragrant white stamens shaped like small brushes that appear before the leaves, then in autumn the same shrub blazes with yellow, orange and red, often on a single leaf at a time.
🍃 Leaves
Deciduous, alternate, ovate, toothed, turning flamboyant shades from yellow to orange and red in autumn, sometimes on a single leaf
🌸 Flowers
Petal-less, formed of many white stamens grouped in fragrant upright spikes, appearing before the leaves
🍎 Fruits
Small woody two-chambered capsule
🪵 Bark
Grey-brown, smooth
🗺️ Distribution
Native to the south-eastern United States, grown in Europe as an ornamental shrub for ericaceous soil
🐝 Value for pollinators
Nectar-bearing flower spikes visited by bees in spring
✂️ Horticultural uses
Planted in ericaceous-soil borders alongside rhododendrons and azaleas, valued for its remarkable autumn foliage
🌿 Other Hamamelidaceae to discover
ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.
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