Content
- Does the witch hazel bear fruit?
- Can you eat the fruits of the witch hazel?
- What do the fruits of witch hazel look like?
- Worth knowing about the fruit of witch hazel:
- Tips
Although similar, the fruits of witch hazel are not related to hazelnuts
Does the witch hazel bear fruit?
Not all varieties of witch hazel actually produce fruits. The ornamental plant commercially available as "late blooming witch hazel" is one of these non-fruiting plants. In contrast to Hamamelis virginiana, it does not bloom in autumn, but only in early spring.
Can you eat the fruits of the witch hazel?
The fruits of the virgin witch hazel are found at the same time as the next year's flowers on the bush, a small phenomenon in the plant world. They are not poisonous, but the fruits are hardly used in the kitchen. They look a little bit like hazelnut but are not related to it. Despite everything, the fruit should be very tasty.
In the homeopathy the Hamamelis is very popular and is used in many ways, however only the kind Hamamelis virginiana, the virgin witch hazel. Because of its anti-inflammatory, hemostatic and astringent effect, it is often used for wound healing and various skin complaints. So it should also help with hemorrhoids or atopic dermatitis and even with diarrhea. In medicine, however, mainly the leaves and the bark are used.
What do the fruits of witch hazel look like?
The relatively easy-care witch hazel forms woody capsule fruits, each containing only two seeds. Incidentally, despite the possible similarity, it is not botanically related to hazelnut. If the seeds of Hamamelis are ripe, then the capsules burst open and hurl the seeds up to ten meters away.
If you want to collect and sow the seeds of your own plant, then you should remove them before maturity. After that, it will be difficult to find them in the expanses of the garden.
Worth knowing about the fruit of witch hazel:
Tips
If you want the seeds to collect your witch hazel for sowing, then do so just prior to seed maturity. Ripe seeds are thrown meter by meter through the garden and so hard to find again.