Corylopsis glabrescens – Winter Hazel –

Description

Corylopsis – Winter Hazel –

There are about 10 species of deciduous shrubs and small trees, in this genus. They occur in woodland and scrub in the Eastern Himalayas, China, Taiwan and Japan. They have alternate, simple, egg shaped, blunt toothed, light to dark green leaves. Young stems are downy. Before the leaves emerge, in spring it bears pendent spikes or racemes of 6-20 bell shaped, fragrant, 5 petalled, pale yellow or greenish flowers followed by ½” wide fruits ripening in summer among the small, woody capsules each containing 2 black,. Shiny seeds. Grow in a woodland garden or in a shrub or mixed border.

Grow in cool climates, in fertile, moist but well drained, acidic soil in partial shade.

C. glabrescens – This open, spreading shrub from mountains of Korea, and Japan grows 15′ feet tall and wide. It produces broadly oval leaves, heart shaped at the base, with a pointed tip, are dark green above, blue green beneath, to 4″ long, and turn yellow in autumn. In mid spring it bears pendent racemes of lemon yellow flowers, to 1″ long, with reddish green bracts.

Zones 6-9