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Hamamelis ovalis S.W. Leonard
Bigleaf Witch-hazel
Federal Protection: No US federal protection
State Protection: No Georgia state protection
Global Rank: G2G3
State Rank: S1
Element Locations Tracked in Biotics: Yes
SWAP 2015 Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN): Yes
SWAP 2025 Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN): Yes
2025 SGCN Priority Tier: Highest Conservation Concern
Element Occurrences (EOs) in Georgia: 1
Habitat Summary for element in Georgia: Edge of bay swamp in slash pine woodland
Shrub with multiple trunks up to 20 feet tall, usually 1 - 3 feet tall, forming colonies by the spread of shallowly rooted rhizomes. The leaves are 4.7 - 9.5 inches long and 2 - 6.7 inches wide (12 - 24 cm long, 5 - 17 cm wide), about 2 - 3 times larger than then leaves of common Witch-hazel, Hamamelis virginiana and more rounded in outline; leaves are deciduous, alternate, oval, with rounded teeth on the margins and six lateral veins on one side of the midvein and five on the other; a dense layer of branched, white hairs covers the lower leaf surface. Flowers bloom December to February and are about 0.5 - 1 inch (1.4 - 2.8 cm) wide, with four narrow, red, orange, maroon, pink, or yellow-tipped petals and a scarlet calyx. Fruits are woody capsules that split to explosively disperse the seeds up to several meters away.
Witch-hazel (Hamamelis virginiana) is a shrub or small tree up to 20 feet tall. Its flowers bloom October to December and have a yellow calyx and yellow petals up to 0.3 inch long. Its leaves are 1.5 - 6.5 inches long and 1 - 5 inches wide (3.7 - 16.7 cm long, 2.5 - 13 cm wide), usually with five lateral veins on one side of the midvein, and 4 or 5 on the other; the lower leaf surface may be either smooth or hairy.
There are no other rare Hamamelis species in Georgia.
Big-leaf Witch-hazel occurs in Georgia on a lower slope of a mature slash pine forest in the ecotone with a bay swamp. Elsewhere, it has been found on slopes and in bottoms of dry to moist ravines with pine or mixed hardwood-pine canopies.
Big-leaf Witch-hazel is a deciduous shrub that reproduces vegetatively by spread of rhizomes and sexually by seed. It flowers several months after leaves have dropped, in early to mid-winter. Its fragrant, red, nectar-bearing flowers are obviously attractive to insects, but no pollinator observations have been published. Its reproductive cycle is likely to be similar to that of the fall-flowering Witch-hazel, which initiates pollen tube growth soon after pollination but delays fertilization until spring. Fruits develop throughout the growing season and dehisce in the fall, ballistically (explosively) ejecting two seeds.
Big-leaf Witch-hazel is most conspicuous in the winter when it is in flower. Surveys may also be conducted in late spring and summer once leaves have fully emerged and can be compared with those of Witch-hazel.
Big-leaf Witch-hazel has been found in the Coastal Plain of Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia. Being a relatively newly described species, it may be found elsewhere in the southeast in the future.
Big-leaf Witch-hazel habitat is threatened by habitat destruction and conversion to pine plantations, pastures, and agriculture.
| Threat 1 | Threat 2 | Threat 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Threat | Natural system modifications | Residential & commercial development | Agriculture & aquaculture |
| Specific Threat | None | None | None |
Big-leaf Witch-hazel is ranked S1 by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, indicating that it is critically imperiled in Georgia. Only one population has been discovered so far in Georgia; it occurs in a state park owned and managed by Georgia Department of Natural Resources.
Protect populations and their habitats from human disturbances such as logging and conversion to silviculture. Conduct life history studies to determine breeding system, pollinators, seed viability, germination rates, etc. Determine if prescribed fire is indicated.
Diamond, A.R. 2013. Hamamelis ovalis species description. Alabama Plant Atlas. University of West Alabama, Livingston, Alabama. Accessed 21 May 2019. http://www.floraofalabama.org/Plant.aspx?id=5294
GADNR. 2019. Element occurrence record for Hamamelis ovalis. Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Resources Division, Social Circle.
Lane, C. 2016. Hamamelis ovalis. Yearbook 2015, pp. 56-61. International Dendrology Society. Hergest Estate Office, Kington, Herefordshire, HR5 3EG, United Kingdom. Accessed 21 May 2019. http://dendrology.org/publications/general-articles/hamamelis-ovalis-2015/
Leonard, S.W. 2006. A new species of witch-hazel (Hamamelis: Hamamelidaceae) apparently endemic to southern Mississippi. Sida 22(2): 849-856. Accessed 21 May 2019. https://www.jstor.org/stable/41969048?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents
Weakley, A.S. 2015. Flora of the southern and mid-Atlantic States. University of North Carolina Herbarium, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
Linda G. Chafin
Linda G. Chafin: 22 May 2019, original account
