15 August 2023.
Monroe County, Alabama, United States
Locality: Haines Island Park; overlooks the Alabama River.
Coordinates: 31.7206, -87.4654
(Map it)
Elevation: 86m.
Georeference protocol: Lat/lon determined by GPS
Habitat: Wild Habitat
Environment description: Beautiful Pine-Oak forest sits atop the Buhrstone Questa, an escarpment that rises over 350 feet. Southern Red Hills Region. Slope: 10%. Aspect: North. Elevation recorded as 281 feet.
Number of plants sampled: 1
Associated species: Magnolia grandiflora; Liriodendron tulipifera; Quercus alba; Quercus shumardii; Liquidambar styraciflua; Fraxinus americana; Pinus echinata; Vitis rotundifolia; Diospyros virginiana; Chionanthus virginicus; Gelsemium sempervirens; Packera sp.; Solidago sp.; Viburnum acerifolium; Asimina parviflora; Magnolia macrophylla; Hamamelis virginiana.
Comment: Collectors' note: Big-leaf witch-hazel. Deciduous, clone forming, 1- to 2-foot-tall stems, occasionally to 6-10 feet tall; short runners, shallowly rooted. Leaves noticeably larger, wider, more symmetrical than H. virginiana; upper surface of new growth appears glaucous blue; lower surface often dense felty-white with pronounced venation (rufous hairs). Flower buds are also larger and hairier than H. virginiana. Flowers start yellow around Thanksgiving and progress more and more red until full anthesis in late December to early January. Distribution: Scattered patches. Seed collected off of one plant.
Collector(s):